Unisa’s College of Law (CLAW), through its Community Engagement Portfolio, has embarked on an extensive mission to broaden its community engagement reach across South Africa’s nine provinces.

On 26 March 2022, CLAW’s Community Engagement Portfolio honoured an invitation from the Mampuru royal family in Jane Furse, Limpopo, to attend an honorary award ceremony by the South African Traditional Music Awards (SATMA) for the late Kgoshi Mampuru II.

Macdonald Rammala (CLAW) and a representative from SATMA

“Traditional leaders play a critical role in the broader society as custodians of heritage, hence SATMA decided to hand over the award to the late Kgoshi Mampuru II, whose history is undeniably fierce and brave,” said Macdonald Rammala, Researcher at Unisa’s Institute for Dispute Resolution in Africa.

In attendance were Mayor Minah Bahula: Makhuduthamaga Municipality, Dr Namane Masemola: MEC in the Limpopo Provincial Government, Kgosigadi Kaekoa Pilane Motshegwe, HRH Princess Stella Sigcau, Prince Nkgonyeletse Kgoloko, Princess Nikiwe Bam, representatives of the Limpopo Traditional Health Practitioners, Jane Mufamadi: CEO of Freedom Park, Inkosi Patekile Holomisa and Cllr Julia Mathebe, among other respective delegates. 

In the service of humanity

In line with an outreach approach of using the university’s resources and capacities in community development initiatives and forging collaborative partnerships, CLAW has enjoyed and built ties with royal families. There are talks underway to initiate community engagement projects with a strong focus on research.

Bearing in mind that African Indigenous Law is part of the hybrid legal system in South Africa, the college honours invitations such as the one from the Mampuru royal family. CLAW does this with a broader purpose of highlighting the significance of traditional dispute resolution mechanisms, curriculum transformation, knowledge exchange programmes and community initiatives aimed at positioning the University of South Africa as a truly African university in the service of humanity.

CLAW’s Community Engagement Portfolio seeks to further target knowledge holders in communities for the purposes of policy briefs, seminars and colloquiums, where these communities can share their knowledge, which should eventually find its way into the mainstream collaborative knowledge production outputs.

Kgoshi Mampuru IV holding the SATMA Award

“In cognisance of such wealth of knowledge, Kgoshi Mampuru II is one such colossal figure worthy of further research and further publications, given the horrific context through which he lost his life and to this day, his remains cannot be found,” said Rammala.

Furthermore, Rammala said it is also worthy to note that traditional leaders operate in both political and cultural contexts, where they are also affected by the ordinary service delivery challenges that people face on a daily basis. He says at times traditional leaders are the first point of contact whenever people seek resolutions to issues, access to land and other initiatives that concern the jurisdiction afforded to these leaders.

CLAW continues to create ties with various government departments, community organisations and other stakeholders in order to keep its social responsibility mission well and alive.

CLAW reaching out to SA’s provinces

There are plans underway to engage communities and schools in Kwazulu-Natal, Limpopo, the Northern Cape, North West and Mpumalanga between April and May 2022. The college’s Community Engagement Portfolio has often been approached by various communities to assist in rendering various community workshops on constitutional rights, knowledge-sharing sessions on community initiatives and dispute resolution mechanisms.

These engagements with communities and organisations broaden the college’s mission of moving into the far and forgotten corners of South Africa, thereby casting a spotlight on the university as a brand that goes into communities, learns from these communities and creates a context to come up collaborative partnerships with community engagement initiatives that benefit communities and the broader academic community.

* Submitted by the Institute for Dispute Resolution in Africa, Unisa College of Law