Black Lawyers Student Chapter Marks Youth Day
The Black Lawyers Association UNISA Student Chapter held a dialogue and Youth Day commemoration on 16 June 2026 in Pretoria, bringing together high‑school learners, law students and candidate legal practitioners.
Speakers from both older and younger cohorts shared personal stories, offering advice and encouragement to the assembled audience.
Examining the legacy of the 1976 uprising
Former BLA Secretary‑General Christopher Mamathuntsha recalled that his legal career was shaped by the association, noting that many members have been appointed to the Bench since 1988. He said the BLA “fights for access to practice and transformation in both the profession and the judiciary,” and emphasized that the organisation values legal education and training so that practitioners can dispense competent legal advice.
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Speaking about the Soweto uprising, Mamathuntsha pointed out that the youth of 1976 decided to fight the injustices of that era and succeeded. He challenged today’s generation to consider what injustices they are confronting and what they would like to be remembered for.
He highlighted the issue of access to justice, noting that many small legal practices struggle to absorb new graduates. Mamathuntsha said many law graduates are unable to obtain articles of clerkship, with some taking work as security guards or in retail while holding law degrees. He questioned why the government does not provide training programmes for legal trainees similar to those for health practitioners.
He encouraged attendees to discover their mission, identify challenges at university level, and fight for issues such as syllabus, training, access and transformation so that new candidate legal practitioners enter practice properly trained without fear or favour.
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Professor Aubrey Manthwa of UNISA’s College of Law noted that the university admits about 32 000 LLB students each year and graduates between 5 000 and 10 000 annually. He said a serious concern is that many graduates are unable to find employment or to open and run their own firms. Manthwa called for partnerships to improve access to opportunities and promote fairness, particularly for those historically excluded, and stressed that the sacrifices of the class of 1976 must be honoured while critically assessing ongoing modern‑day struggles for youth’s economic inclusion.
Chairperson of the South African Women Lawyers Association UNISA Florida Campus, Dineo Bantseke, said the organisation honours the youth of 1976 and reaffirms its commitment to nurturing the next generation of leaders in the legal profession. She added that today’s youth are “custodians of justice and progress.”