The programme has sparked remarkable interest from aspiring students from all over the country, leaving the impression that UMP has answered a need that was in great demand.
UMP’s first cohort of law students: Rivombo Vuako from Giyane in Limpopo, Snethemba Loveness Nkosi from Tjakastad in Mpumalanga and Dumisani-Junior Gumede who hails from Jozini in Kwa-Zulu Natal share why they have chosen to pursue law, what has inspired them to enter into this field, and where they would like to see change.
What inspired you to take up law?
“Corruption is rampant in South Africa. It occurs in both public and private sectors where it affects democracy and human rights. It obliterates the ability of government to fulfil its obligations and ensure accountability in the delivery of economic and social services like education, clean water, housing, social security and health care. This is because corruption diverts funds into private pockets,” says Vuako.
“Politicians are corrupted because they are always embezzling money and not thinking about the people who voted for them. They are involved in tenderpreneurship: they enrich themselves through corrupting the awarding of government tender contracts, mostly based on personal connections and corrupt relationships, although outright bribery might also take place and often involves an elected or politically appointed official (or his or her family members) holding simultaneous business interests.”
Dumisani-Junior Gumede adds that the social injustice he identifies most with and would like to eradicate, is social inequality. He says this is caused mostly by lack of equal opportunity in the workforce. “As a result, the unemployed are unable to attain low-skilled jobs which will support poverty reduction in order to end inequality”, he explains that the lootings in July 2021 serve as a good example of the social inequality he is referring to.
“It is a problem that people started to loot to incite anger over Zuma's imprisonment, but only to discover that the problem was hunger caused by social inequality.”
He says: “It is absolutely impossible for anyone who works or receives an income to loot, if they are thinking of the future of where they will buy if they damage stores. Looters were also generally taken to cells, but they claimed that they did loot since, while unemployed, they saw this as a chance to put food on the table.
For Nkosi, discrimination is her biggest motivator, especially discrimination based on race, age, gender or sexuality.
“There are so many examples I can mention. My neighbour’s son was an albino and he was constantly being bullied for being different. He eventually committed suicide. Then there was an emergency management services worker who was repeatedly subjected to offensive, belittling and degrading comments at work because of his sexuality. In another recent case a woman was fired because she was a lesbian. These types of discrimination should never be happening in this day and age, or ever.”
Vuako adds that he’d like to see an end to domestic and gender-based violence. It is all too prevalent in our society, he says, and it is one of the societal ills he would like to combat and eradicate.
Nkosi from Tjakastad wants to tackle gender-based violence.
In a perfect world, what do you hope to achieve through your law degree?
Vuako says: “I want to see the justice industry free of corruption. I would change the laws of the justice system to become more difficult and employ people who understand what is needed, and what the consequences are for contravening the law.
This will help lawyers and judges to refuse to bow down to corruption because they’ll know that once they get involved in corruption they’ll be banned from being employed in South Africa.”
Gumede, like Vuako, agrees that GBV is a massive scourge in South Africa. He would like to implement changes to the legislation, help create awareness and finally put an end to gender-based violence. He says: “I can discuss with the legislature to change the justice system to become tighter. We have to start refusing bail to murderers.
We need to create a charity in aid of gender-based violence victims, and GBV programmes should be advertised more vigorously to create awareness and help prevent abuse. Government must implement men's organizations where they'll teach men about the danger and consequences of GBV. These will help to stop GBV. Law offers endless career path, since people want to be protected in many different ways and they need us, the legal luminaries, to guide them."
Nkosi believes that South Africa belongs to those who live in it and also those that come from other countries. “People who relocate to South Africa also have the right to fair treatment. I want to fight on behalf of foreigners because they are also human beings and South Africa also promotes diversity.”
Limpopo-born Vuako would love to see tighter laws around gender-based violence.
What do you hope to achieve through your law degree?
Vuako says: “I want to see the justice industry free of corruption. I would change the laws of the justice system to become more difficult and employ people who understand what is needed, and what the consequences are for contravening the law. This will help lawyers and judges to refuse to bow down to corruption because they’ll know that once they get involved in corruption they’ll be banned from being employed in South Africa.”
Gumede, like Vuako, agrees that GBV is a massive scourge in South Africa. He would like to implement changes to the legislation, help create awareness and finally put an end to gender-based violence.
He says: “I can discuss with the legislature to change the justice system to become tighter. We have to start refusing bail to murderers. We need to create a charity in aid of gender-based violence victims, and GBV programmes should be advertised more vigorously to create awareness and help prevent abuse. Government must implement men's organizations where they'll teach men about the danger and consequences of GBV. These will help to stop GBV. Law offers endless career path, since people want to be protected in many different ways and they need us, the legal luminaries, to guide them.
Nkosi believes that South Africa belongs to those who live in it and also those that come from other countries. “People who relocate to South Africa also have the right to fair treatment. I want to fight on behalf of foreigners because they are also human beings and South Africa also promotes diversity.”
Would you recommend any changes to the current justice system?
Gumede says: “I’d implement harsher prison sentences where they are due, but also work on rehabilitating offenders. To do so, I would promote equitable sentencing, ensure that policing practices are fair and effective, and end the criminalization of poverty.”
Nkosi says, in order to protect communities, she would not release dangerous criminal offenders. “Criminals must be put away so that the community can exercise their right of freedom of movement,” she says.
Vuako adds that the laws of justice must become more difficult. “I would also employ candidates who have qualifications or who meet the requirements.”
@ Story by Cleopatra Makhaga. Pictures supplied.