The Inanda community benefitting from free legal advice.Legal Literacy and Legal Advice Provided to Residents of Ohlange
On Saturday 7 October 2017 the UKZN Street Law-Plus and ProBono Outreach Programme housed at the Centre for Socio-Legal Studies provided legal literacy information and legal advice at the home of community activist Mr Thami Shandu in Ohlange.
The team consisted of Professor McQuoid-Mason, Acting Director of the UKZN Centre for Socio-Legal Studies and Chair of Street Law South Africa; Ms Sindi Hlatshwayo and Mr Mark Larkin, candidate attorneys at the UKZN Durban Campus Law Clinic; Ms Solita Rawatlal and Mr Gerald Baker, final-year Law student volunteers from UKZN’s Howard College School of Law.
The Outreach Programme was attended by 15 people from the local Ohlange community – including school teachers, pensioners and people with disabilities. Ms Hlatshwayo and Mr Larkin screened applicants for Legal Aid South Africa which has a co-operation agreement with the Durban Campus Law Clinic and gave legal advice.
Professor McQuoid-Mason was there to supervise the candidate attorneys and students, and to conduct a Street Law-type legal literacy workshop. He conducted a mini-workshop on Wills and Administration of Estates and the Small Claims Court for a small group of school teachers, pensioners and a disabled person. To his surprise he had to also answer questions about Diplomatic Immunity and why Zimbabwe’s First Lady, Grace Mugabe, was granted such Immunity after allegedly assaulting a South African in Sandton.
Hlatshwayo dealt with two clients: One in a case involving a bond on a house that had been paid up but the client was being sued by the bank because he had been charged with insurance premiums by the bank and had fallen into arrears. This happened when he stopped working. The other case involved a woman who had been appointed as a foster mother whose stipend and maintenance payments had been reduced by the Department of Social Development - even though she was still fostering the children.
Mr Larkin also had two clients: One who complained that some goats had trespassed onto land cultivated by him and had eaten his crops. The other was a returning client with a disability who been employed for 9 years by the Department of Social Development without being offered a permanent position – even though the Department had not reached the State’s target of departments ensuring that at least 7 % of their employees were people with disabilities.
The Law students observed both sessions and were able to assist with the recording of information on the Legal Aid South Africa application forms.
The Outreach programme was conducted in the open air under the two large Magnolia trees on Mr Shandu’s property and was a genuine community effort. The neighbours lent Mr Shandu some tables and makeshift chairs for consultation and workshop purposes. The UKZN Outreach team is looking forward to conducting the next Outreach Street Law-Plus and ProBono Outreach Programme there during the second half of November 2017.