Professional and ethical conduct are key to bringing back honour to the legal profession Justice Mbuyiseli Madlanga says.
Justice Madlanga made a call for action, stating that honour must be brought back to the legal profession.
The Book Legal Ethics in South Africa is the first of its kind in contemporary times as the last book was published 40 years ago.
A call was made for legal ethics to be made compulsory in the country’s LLB curriculum.
In the of the plight of unlawfulness, greed and rapid corruption that constantly dominates current affairs, as seen in the ongoing Madlanga Commission, the book Legal Ethics in South Africa is timely and necessary. The book seems to offer a glimpse of hope urging for a transformation that is rooted in prioritising legal ethics.
On 18 June 2026, Wits University hosted a book launch for Legal Ethics in South Africa edited by Law Professor Helen Kruuse from Rhodes University. The introductory remarks were given by Justice Mbuyiseli Madlanga, who is also currently the chancellor for Rhodes University.
Madlanga emphasised how ethical leadership, integrity and courage are essential for the preservation of the constitution and South African society at large. Additionally, ethics and the constitutional mandate of legal practitioners must extend to people beyond legal practitioners. “Legal ethics in South Africa must be welcomed enthusiastically,” he said.
Madlanga argued that legal ethics needs to be compulsory in the LLB curriculum nationwide as opposed to having it as an optional elective. He said, “legal ethics is not just about compliance, it is about understanding and making moral judgment.”
Madlanga said “ordinary people have a general view of how there is no honour in the legal profession… most people understand it as a profession where people do as they please.” As a result of this connotation, Madlanga pushed for people within the legal field to change this narrative by acting honourably and ethically.
The significance of the book lies in the fact that it is the first book of Legal Ethics in South Africa in contemporary times since the last was published 40 years ago, the book launch celebrated the very first edition of the recently published book. Yet, that is not all, an important aspect of the book is the manner in which it shapes the minds of current and future legal scholars and practitioners which directly impacts how law functions within South Africa.
Facilitator, Professor Helen Kruuse reminded the audience that ethics informs the broader social and psychological context, as she reflected on how the book itself is divided into three parts: Academia, Judiciary and Practice.
At the close of the evening, Klaaren noted that the book is the “start of a conversation, centering in ethical law.” Although the book is centred in the legal context and field, its existence may be a reckoning of sorts for those in the legal profession and society alike.
FEATURED IMAGE:Legal Ethics in South Africa book cover. Photo: LexisNexis Website
Graduates remain the least unemployed, but rising job pressure is keeping more students at university. For many, a degree is no longer the finish line.
Unemployment statistics have risen across all categories.
Graduate unemployment has risen slightly, but graduates are largely unaffected.
But some students are pursuing postgraduate studies as they can’t find jobs.
According to Statistics South Africa’s Quarterly Labour Force Survey over 340 000 more people in South Africa now sit without work. University graduates still have the lowest unemployment rate in South Africa, even though it has picked up by 1.8% in the first quarter of the year
Overall, the graduate unemployment rate is 12.2%. Reflecting the growing pressure of South Africa’s competitive and slow-growing labour market. But graduates remain significantly less likely to be unemployed than people with and without matric certificates.
Yet, behind these statistics, another trend has emerged: more students are choosing to stay in university and pursue postgraduate studies. The question is: why?
A graph showing the postgraduate enrolment percentage of the total student enrolment at Wits since 2019. Graphic by Zebrena Ralph
Lindelwe Cili, a team leader for Career Services at Counselling and Careers Development Unit (CCDU), described the link between unemployment and pursuing postgraduate studies as something that does not have a straightforward “yes or no” answer.
She says graduates are not pursuing post graduate studies solely to avoid unemployment. Instead, the decision is shaped by a mix of career requirements, competitiveness in the job market, and individual goals. “Whenever we engage with students, I don’t think we see them using postgrad as a fallback option”, Cili told Wits Vuvuzela.
“One can pursue post-grad to deepen their specialization in the field…and also align with what the industry wants. Also, it depends on the type of degree programme that you are in. If you are in a professional degree, pursuing post-grad would be based on career goals”. This highlights an important nuance: postgraduate studies are often a strategic career move, not a delay tactic.
For some students, furthering their studies is not optional. Honours in Clinical Psychology student, Thabang Ramafoko, said furthering his studies is essential to achieving his career goals. “I want to be a clinical psychologist and that (post graduate studies) is the only way.”
However, the job market still plays a significant role in students’ decisions.
“I furthered my studies because of the job market and because of the degree I done. I did a Bachelor of Arts in Geography and Environmental Studies…You have to further your studies and specialise more so now I am doing my honours in Geography. It increases my chances of employment and also, I just want to be disgustingly educated,” said Honours in Geography student Kamogelo Mokoena.
For some people, the question is no longer whether to study or not, but how much further they need to go.
FEATURED IMAGE: A picture of the Postgraduate Club at the University of Witwatersrand. Image: Zebrena Ralph
Wits is reopening Campus Lodge to ease postgraduate housing pressure, offering more affordable and dedicated accommodation for seniors.
The postgraduate accommodation has undergone much needed renovations.
The relaunch aims to address growing demand for affordable postgraduate accommodation at Wits.
Student leaders say the move is a step forward, but more support for postgraduates is still needed.
A once quiet Wit’s residence is preparing to welcome students again. The brown and blue building on the corner of De Korte and Station streets, may look the same from the outside but new rooms and common areas await inside.
Campus Housing and Residence Life (CHRL) confirmed that the postgraduate residence had been out of use and was in dire need of upgrades.
According to a post shared on CHRL’s TikTok page, the residence was initially expected to reopen on May 4, 2026, but couldn’t due to delays with equipment deliveries.
Claudine Prim the manager of the Central Accommodation Office, said the reopening is now expected on 18 May to address demand.
Prim said there is an “influx of postgraduate students looking for internal residences.”
The self-catering residence will offer a range of housing options, including studio apartments, two-bedroom apartments, and single rooms with shared kitchens and bathrooms.
Campus Lodge joins existing postgraduate residences including West Campus Village, International House and Wits Junction.
A picture of the entrance of Campus Lodge. Photo by: Sanele Sithole
For many students, the reopening could not come at a better time.
Mahloromela Silas Seabi, an MSc Computer Science student and chairperson of the Postgraduate Association (PGA), said postgraduate students often face limited and expensive housing options.
“University residences tend to be expensive, especially for postgraduate students, who are usually limited to Wits Junction, West Campus Village and International House,” Seabi said. “This gives an opportunity for more affordable postgraduate accommodation.”
He added that postgraduate students are often disadvantaged during residence allocation, as priority is usually given to undergraduate students, particularly first-years.
Seabi said demand for affordable postgraduate accommodation continues to grow alongside rising unemployment and economic uncertainty.
“Many students pursue postgraduate studies partly because of economic pressures, but often there isn’t enough affordable space to accommodate them,” he said.
Beyond affordability, Seabi argued postgraduate students require different support structures from undergraduates.
“A postgraduate space needs to cater for adults,” he said. “Some students are married; some have children. There needs to be communal spaces, lounges, good computing systems and support services that make students feel supported in their research journey.”
He added: “Accommodation is part of building a stronger postgraduate community — a space where students can interact, share ideas, support each other and manage the pressures of research.”
Students interested in applying for accommodation at Campus Lodge can visit the Central Accommodation Office on the ground floor of Solomon Mahlangu House for more information.
FEATURE: A picture of Campus Lodge. Photo by: Sanele Sithole
From pre-colonial wars to the mechanics of state execution, students are demanding a more nuanced history. It is time to stop sanitising the past and walk the 52 steps.
The Department of Basic Education is currently reconsidering how we teach our past, a move that comes not a moment too soon. In a recent series of conversations at the University of the Witswatersrand (Wits), students expressed a clear hunger for a history that goes beyond the “standard” narrative.
Joy Cain, a first-year Biomedical Sciences student, noted a lack of perspective on the white experience during Apartheid, while Shane Yurar, a first-year Film and Television student, suggested the curriculum should expand to include pre-colonial history, specifically the tribal wars of leaders such as King Shaka. Others, like Aluta Manale, an international relations honours student, pointed toward the migration stories from Congo. Or as Tinashe Morena, a second-year psychology student, said, the need to study the Black authors and struggle writers who defined an era.
The underlying message from these students is clear: they feel their history has been “filtered.”
As I stood in the Kgosi Mampuru II Gallows last week, Wednesday, 15 April, I realised just how thick that filter is. While students are asking for more diverse stories, there is a physical site of memory in Tshwane that remains almost absent from our national consciousness. The Gallows is a “human abattoir”, a place where 3,500 lives were ended with clinical, industrial efficiency.
My mentors cautioned that the Gallows might be too ‘deep’ or too ‘sore’ a topic to bring up in a casual vox pop, and they are right. It is a heavy, sombre reality. But that is exactly why it needs to be taught. By shielding students from the ‘scary parts’ of our history, we are not protecting them; we are leaving them with an incomplete understanding of how we got here.
We learn about the “In Detention” poem in English class, but we do not walk the 52 steps in History. We talk about the triumph of 1994, but we do not look at the white telephone that never rang for those awaiting a pardon.
If the Department of Basic Education wants to truly localise our curriculum, they must include the sites that prove Apartheid was not just a set of laws, but a factory of dehumanisation. To truly appreciate the “Freedom” we celebrate on April 27th, we must stop sugarcoating the past. We must look at the darkness of the Gallows to understand the value of the light we live in today.
Drawing of a noose that represents the Gallows, in South Africa. Graphics: Daniella Ripamonti
FEATURED IMAGE: Drawing of a noose that represents the Gallows, in South Africa. Graphics: Daniella Ripamonti
Main Street in Johannesburg transformed into a car-free zone, inviting people to take back the city centre through art, community, cycling and music.
Johannesburg reimagined its city centre, as Main Street closed to cars and reclaimed by the people.
Music, art, cycling and children’s activities filled the streets, creating a sense of community, safety and connection.
Inspired by cities globally, Main Street Sundays is part of an experiment to revitalise the city .
On Sunday, April 12, Johannesburg reimagined how we can experience the city. What is usually jammed with traffic, became a space for walking, cycling, art and connection. The initiative was led by Jozi My Jozi in partnership with Young Urbanists. For one full day Main Street in Marshalltown was closed to motor vehicles and belonged to the people.
There was something happening on every corner. Music played, book clubs met in the open, art filled the streets, people skated, played games and searched the stalls. It was more than just a street closure, it was a reclaiming of public space from cars.
“Our mission is to bring people back to the city,” said Jozi My Jozi Education Workstream Coordinator, Senty Maphosa. “Let’s relove, let’s reimagine what the city could look like.”
Globally, cars dominate 80% of public space. But as Thandile Manyifolo, BA Architecture Student and Deputy Chairperson of the Jozi My Jozi Chapter at Wits University reminds us, “urban spaces were designed for people to live in. If people come secondary to that, are they really fulfilling their purpose?”
Organisers emphasised that reclaiming the streets is not just about daytime activities but also creating more opportunities and innovation for young people into the evenings.
The event offered a glimpse into how urban space can return to being people centric. Children played freely, with a programme created in partnership with Play Africa, the day included interactive learning activities, face painting, chalk art, sports and a gallery.
People felt at ease, walking around taking photos on their phones, dancing and laughing. There was a sense of belonging. “Today is all about community, it’s all about collaboration and it’s all about bringing back a sense of pride and inspiring people,” said Maphosa.
Jozi My Jozi is reimagining Joburg’s CBD. Photo: Hannah BrownA game of table tennis is held on the street. Photo: Hannah BrownKids area in partnership with Play Africa. Photo: Hannah BrownAs Main Street closed to cars, cyclists rode through the CBD. Photo: Hannah BrownA music group performs at the event. Photo: Hannah BrownSkateboarders took to the city streets, performing tricks. Photo: Hannah BrownVisitors play a game of foosball. Photo: Hannah BrownJozi My Jozi signs during Main Street Sundays. Photo: Hannah Brown
Inspired by cities including Bogotá, Paris and Cape Town’s Bree Street. The event is part of a larger experiment to revitalise the city, reimagine the use of urban space and see what happens when streets are closed to cars and given to pedestrians.
For Johannesburg, Main Street Sundays was the first of what many hope will become a regular event. “We are starting something that will have a domino effect in the long term to open up the streets of Jozi, not just Main Street, but the entirety of the city,” said Manyifolo.
It showed us what Joburg can feel like, where the city is not just a place to quickly pass through, but one where we can come together, connect and move safely.
FEATURED IMAGE: Cyclist from the Sentech Croozers rides a stance bike at Main Street Sundays. Photo: Hannah Brown
A 12-year-old who never let go of her dream and is now a household name.
After two decades of chasing news, Chriselda Lewis is back in the classroom, now chasing assignment deadlines. Wits University was always her dream institution, but her parents could not afford to pay for the fees, so now she is paying her own way.
Born and bred in Mthata, Eastern Cape, where opportunities are scarce, Lewis was fortunate that her primary school came to her rescue.
“I was told that I was a shy kid; however, at the age of 12 years old there was a television scout that came to my school. My teacher selected me to become a children’s show presenter on Transkei Broadcasting Corporation.”
The moment she stood in front of the camera, she knew exactly what she wanted to be: “I liked the lights, I liked the camera, and I thought this is exactly what I’m going to become.”
Chriselda at the Drum Room, Wits Department. Photo: Dikeledi Ramabula
Lewis completed her undergraduate studies in 2002 at Border Technikon, now known as Walter Sisulu University. After completing her studies, she began her career as an intern at The Sowetan in 2003.
“Working at The Sowetan was very challenging, as it was where I applied everything I had learned in tertiary education. It was also exciting because I had the opportunity to work with veteran journalists who had worked during the apartheid era, such as John Dludlu,” she said.
‘While I may not remember the first story I worked on at The Sowetan, I do remember cracking my first big story in 2004. One of them was the kidnapping and murder of university student Leigh Matthews,” she says.
As her career progressed from The Sowetan, she went on to work at the South African Press Association, followed by Talk Radio 702, then the SABC, where she made her first television appearance on SABC Africa.
In 2023, Lewis won the Journalist of the Year award in the Television: In-Depth/ Features/ Interviews category. Other career highlights include her coverage of the fall of Robert Mugabe in Zimbabwe, the Oscar Pistorius trial and reporting on the earthquake in Türkiye-Syria.
Lewis always wanted to return to school, but never got the opportunity because her work life is demanding:
“As I speak to you, I’m in Bloemfontein to cover the memorial service of the police officers whose bodies were found in the Hennops River. Due to workload and insane working hours, I just never thought I’d find the opportunity to go back to school”.
Lewis says despite having 22 years of experience in her field, it doesn’t hurt to equip herself with better skills so that one day she can be a leader in the newsroom, and to do so, she must equip herself with the necessary qualifications.
But being back in the classroom hasn’t been easy. “If you give me a report I can do it for you, if you want me on TV, I can do it. I’ve moved into a different terrain doing academic writings which is a scary process,” she says.
When asked to share wisdom for aspiring journalists, Chriselda says, “This is not child’s play! Journalism is hard work; it is long hours. You are not going to survive if you don’t love this job. You have to love what you do!”
FEATURED IMAGE: Chriselda Lewis standing outside of the Wits Centre for Journalism. Photo: Dikeledi Ramabula
Since her announcement as the Democratic Alliance’s mayoral candidate for Johannesburg, Helen Zille has dominated national headlines. In this bonus episode of We Should Be Writing podcast, hosts Lulah Mapiye and Bonolo Mokonoto dissect a media meet-and-greet with the mayoral hopeful. From her extensive political résumé to her controversial public utterance, we examine why the Democratic Alliance has chosen Hellen Zille as their candidate for the 2027 local mayoral elections. Additionally, […]
