Deputy Minister Andries Nel: Career Expo for Law Students at North West University

Programme Director, Mr Kagiso Masilo,

Deputy Vice-Chancellor of North-West University, Dr Joe Molete,

Kgosi Motshegare of the Barolong Royal Family

Executive Mayor of the Mahikeng Local Municipality is Cllr. Tshepiso Mphehlo

Executive Dean of the Faculty of Law, Professor Kathleen van der Linde,

Mr Omphemetse Lehabe of the Legal Practice Council,

Ms Connie Ntsoko of the South African Women Lawyers Association,

Ms Victoria Zilanda of Legal Aid South Africa,

Advocate Daphney Rangaka of the National Prosecuting Authority,

Mr Motshabi of the State Attorney's Office,

Mr Makubela Mokulubete of the Department of Justice and Constitutional Development,

Representatives of the law firms present,

Distinguished guests and presenters,

And, most importantly, the law students gathered here today,

Good morning.

I bring you the warm greetings and best wishes of the Minister of Justice and Constitutional Development, Ms Mmamoloko Kubayi, who would have wished to join us today.

Every generation inherits a country. Some generations are called upon to liberate it. Some are called upon to rebuild it. Some are called upon to defend what has been achieved while completing what remains unfinished.

The question before you today is simple: What will your generation do with South Africa's Constitution?

You will answer that question not only through what you believe, but through what you choose to do with your legal education. The law is not merely a profession, it is a public trust. That trust is now passing to your generation.

We began today by reciting the Preamble to the Constitution. When we recite those words, we are not merely recalling a historic text. We are renewing a national covenant. A covenant to heal the divisions of the past. A covenant to establish a society based on democratic values, social justice and fundamental human rights. A covenant to improve the quality of life of all citizens and free the potential of every person.

These are not abstract promises. They are tasks. They are urgent. They remain unfinished and they are deeply connected to the work that many of you will soon undertake as attorneys, advocates, prosecutors, magistrates, judges, academics, legislative drafters, legal advisers and public servants.

This year we celebrate thirty years since the adoption of our Constitution. We also commemorate Nelson Mandela Month. These two occasions belong together.

Before Nelson Mandela became President of the Republic, he was a lawyer. He understood that law could be used in two very different ways. It could be used to dominate or it could be used to liberate. It could be used to exclude or it could be used to protect. It could serve power or it could hold power accountable.

Mandela chose justice. Together with Oliver Tambo, he established the first Black-owned law firm in South Africa. They represented people whose dignity was denied by apartheid, whose homes were threatened, whose movements were restricted and whose voices had been silenced.

They did not practise law at a safe distance from society. They practised law in the midst of society's deepest struggles. That is the tradition you inherit. It is a tradition older than our democratic Constitution.

In 1910, Alfred Mangena became the first Black person to be admitted as an attorney by a South African court. He had trained as a teacher. He later worked in the docks in Cape Town. He went to Britain, studied law and was called to the Bar at Lincoln's Inn. When he returned to South Africa and applied to practise, the Law Society opposed his admission because he was African. He challenged that exclusion. He went to court. And he won. Alfred Mangena did not merely enter the legal profession. He enlarged it. He opened a door that others had tried to keep closed.

That is what pioneers do. They enter spaces from which they were excluded and then make those spaces more open for those who follow.

Many others continued that work. Duma Nokwe, Nelson Mandela, Oliver Tambo, Bram Fischer, Ismail Mahomed, Priscilla Jana, Dullah Omar, Griffiths and Victoria Mxenge, Pius Langa, Godfrey Pitje, Dikgang Moseneke, Albie Sachs, Arthur Chaskalson, Yvonne Mokgoro, Zac Yacoob.

They came from different backgrounds. They followed different paths. But they shared a conviction: The law must serve justice.

When the law was used as an instrument of oppression, they reclaimed its moral purpose. When courts enforced injustice, they used the courtroom as a site of resistance. When the powerful demanded silence, they spoke. Some were imprisoned.

Some were banned. Some were forced into exile. Some were disbarred. Some paid with their lives. Yet they never abandoned the cause of justice. Their courage helped lay the foundation upon which our constitutional democracy now stands.

Thirty years ago, South Africans made a profound national choice. We chose constitutional supremacy over arbitrary power. We chose equality over racial hierarchy. We chose dignity over humiliation. We chose accountability over impunity. We chose an independent judiciary to uphold the Constitution and protect the rights of all.

But constitutions do not defend themselves. Rights do not enforce themselves. The rule of law does not preserve itself. People do. People of integrity. People of courage. People with knowledge. People who understand that legal knowledge is not only a source of personal opportunity, but a responsibility to society.

That responsibility now belongs to you. Some of you will become attorneys. Some will become advocates. Some will prosecute organised crime and corruption. Some will defend people who cannot afford legal representation. Some will draft legislation. Some will advise government. Some will facilitate investment and economic growth. Some will conduct research and teach the next generation. Some may one day sit on the Bench. But every one of you will help shape the meaning of justice in South Africa.

You may think of this event as a Career Expo. It is that.

But it is also something more. It is an invitation to consider not only what job you want, but what purpose you will serve. A career is about what you do. A calling is about why you do it. South Africa needs lawyers who understand both.

We need government legal advisers who ensure that public power is exercised lawfully. We need legislative drafters who can translate constitutional principle into laws that respond to the changing needs of society.

Legislative drafting is not remote or uneventful work. Mr Makubela Mokulubete, for example, has worked extensively on the Cannabis for Private Purposes Act, legislation developed in response to a Constitutional Court judgment and the need to provide a lawful regulatory framework for private possession, use and cultivation.

That work shows how constitutional judgments, legislation, public policy and social change interact. We need prosecutors who act firmly, independently and fairly on behalf of the people. We need Legal Aid attorneys who ensure that equality before the law is not reserved for those who can afford it. We need judges who interpret and develop the law without fear, favour or prejudice. We need public-interest lawyers who defend communities and constitutional rights. We need corporate lawyers who conduct business ethically and help create the conditions for investment, development and employment. We need academics who ask difficult questions and deepen our understanding of justice.

There is no single correct career in law. There is, however, a common duty. Whatever path you choose, you must protect the integrity of the law. That duty matters because our democracy is being tested. We celebrate thirty years of the Constitution, but we must be honest about the condition of our democracy.

This year also marks fifty years since the Soweto uprising of 1976, when young people took history into their own hands.

Later this year, South Africans will again go to the polls in the local government elections.

Yet research indicates that too many young South Africans feel disconnected from democratic institutions. Registration and participation among younger citizens remain lower than among older generations. Support for democracy has weakened. Trust in institutions has declined. Many young people question whether their votes make a difference.

These findings are serious. But we should be careful about how we understand them. Youth disengagement is not simply a story of apathy. It is, to a large extent, a story of disappointment. Young people have not necessarily stopped caring about democracy. They are asking whether democracy works. They believe in freedom, but question whether freedom delivers. They believe in equality, but continue to experience inequality. They believe in justice, but too often encounter delay, cost and exclusion.

They believe that government should serve the people, but frequently experience institutions that do not function as they should.That is not a reason to abandon democracy. It is a reason to make democracy work better.

Lawyers have a special responsibility in that task. Democracy is strengthened every time a prosecutor acts without fear or favour. Every time an attorney serves a client honestly. Every time a public servant gives lawful and independent advice. Every time a judge delivers a fair and carefully reasoned judgment. Every time a lawyer helps an ordinary person understand and exercise a right.

Trust is not created by slogans. It is built through conduct. Case by case. Institution by institution. Generation by generation.

As future lawyers, you will also enter a profession undergoing profound technological change. The traditional tools of legal practice were once the pen, the brief and the law report. Today they include algorithms, digital platforms, data analytics and artificial intelligence.

Artificial intelligence can already search vast quantities of law. It can summarise judgments. It can draft contracts. It can identify patterns. It may even predict likely outcomes in litigation.

You should understand these technologies. You should learn to use them. You should also understand their limitations.

A machine can process information. It cannot possess integrity. It can identify precedent. It cannot understand the moral weight of a decision. It can produce an argument. It cannot comfort a victim. It can analyse evidence. It cannot appreciate fully the fear of a witness, the vulnerability of a child or the dignity of an accused person. It cannot take an oath. It cannot accept responsibility. It cannot understand justice in the human sense. That remains your responsibility.

The future will not need lawyers who compete with machines at processing information. It will need lawyers who bring to technology what technology cannot supply: Judgment. Empathy. Ethics. Courage. Human understanding.

The challenge is therefore not to resist technological change. It is to ensure that technology serves justice rather than replacing humanity.

It is also important that you understand the profession you are preparing to enter. South Africa has just over 35,500 attorneys. Slightly more than half are men, while women constitute approximately 46 per cent. There are only a small number of very large firms.

Most practices are small firms, and thousands of attorneys practise alone.  These smaller firms and sole practitioners are often the first and only point of legal assistance available to communities. Many also invest in candidate attorney programmes, mentoring and training the next generation despite limited resources. We recognise and commend them for that contribution.

Today, use the opportunity before you. Speak to the law firms represented here. Ask about candidate attorney programmes. Learn how internships in government work. Understand the role of the Legal Practice Council. Explore the Aspirant Prosecutors Programme. Speak to Legal Aid South Africa. Ask public servants what government legal work actually involves. Learn about careers that you may not previously have considered.

Do not be afraid to ask direct questions. How did you begin? What mistakes did you make? What qualities do you look for in a candidate? What do you wish you had known as a student? How can I prepare myself now? Every conversation today could open a door tomorrow.

But remember: no institution can build your career for you. You must prepare yourself. Academic excellence matters. But it is not enough. The law requires discipline. It requires intellectual honesty. It requires respect for facts. It requires the courage to tell a client—or a minister, a corporation or a government department—what the law requires, rather than what they wish to hear.

It requires respect for people whose lives and experiences differ from your own. It requires humility, because no lawyer knows everything. It requires continuous learning, because the law and society never stand still.

And above all, it requires integrity. Your reputation will be one of your greatest professional assets. It may take years to build. It can be lost in a moment. Do not trade integrity for convenience. Do not trade principle for popularity. Do not trade the public trust for private advantage.

The legal profession confers power. The power to speak for others. The power to interpret complex rules. The power to affect liberty, livelihood, property, family and reputation. That power must always be exercised with humility.

I express my sincere appreciation to North-West University and the Faculty of Law for convening this Career Expo.

I also thank the Legal Practice Council, the South African Women Lawyers Association, Legal Aid South Africa, the National Prosecuting Authority, the State Attorney's Office, the Department of Justice and Constitutional Development, and the law firms and practitioners who have given their time to guide and encourage these students.

Partnerships between universities, government, the judiciary, professional bodies and the private legal sector are essential if we are to build the legal profession South Africa needs.

But the final responsibility rests with you, the students gathered here. Years from now, people may not remember the marks you received in every subject. They will remember your integrity. They may not remember every case you won. They will remember whether you treated people with dignity. They may not ask how quickly you became successful.

They will ask whether justice became stronger because you practised law. They will ask whether you defended the Constitution when it was difficult. Whether you spoke when silence would have been easier. Whether you used your knowledge to open doors or to close them. Whether you served only yourselves, or whether you also served society.

The world does not merely need more attorneys, advocates, prosecutors or judges. It needs ethical attorneys. Courageous advocates. Independent prosecutors. Fair judges. Principled public servants. Lawyers who understand that the law must protect the vulnerable and constrain the powerful. Lawyers who understand that justice is not a commodity available only to those who can afford it. Lawyers who know that democracy survives only when the rule of law is respected.

That is the calling before you. It is a demanding calling. It is a noble calling. And now it is your turn. The law is not merely a profession. It is a public trust. Use your education to defend that trust. Use your careers to strengthen our Constitution. Use your lives to help build a South Africa that is more equal, more accountable and more just. The country needs you. The Constitution calls you. History now hands the responsibility to you.

I thank you.

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