KUBAYI PLEDGES TO IMPROVE INCLUSIVITY AND TRANSPARENCY IN LEGAL SECTOR
- BEE NEWS
- Apr 22
- 2 min read
Lehlohonolo Lehana | 20 April 2026
Minister of Justice and Constitutional Development Mmamoloko Kubayi met with legal practitioners in a stakeholder engagement as part of government’s efforts to strengthen collaboration and advance transformation within the legal sector.
This engagement provided a platform for constructive dialogue with legal practitioners on matters relating to transformation and the empowerment of previously disadvantaged professionals within the legal sector.
Various members of the legal fraternity as well as representatives of legal bodies were outspoken about the fact that black lawyers are overlooked, especially when it came to the State Attorney allocating work in high-profile cases.
Kubayi has emphasised that the transformation of the legal sector remains integral to sustaining South Africa’s democracy.
“Most studies have indicated that the transformation of the legal profession is facing resistance by established players who have benefited from the status quo, and this has also manifested itself with legal challenges against the legal sector code.”
“There are still many barriers that restrict the careers of talented black and female lawyers, including racist treatment, sexual harassment, and briefing patterns which give preference to white men.”
“That can’t be ignored. It cannot be that it is not acknowledged that transformation is necessary in this sector, because the worst off in this sector remain the black women. We are going to have to work together…in partnership to be able to fight the resistance and transform our sector,” Kubayi said.
Kubayi gave the assurance that the concerns will be addressed. She said while they are valid, the worst off in this sector are black female practitioners.
She actively defended the Legal Sector Code (LSC) against legal challenges from major law firms. She said the LSC is crucial for transformation.
The Minister has instructed all State Attorney Offices to hold quarterly stakeholder engagements to deepen transformation even further.
The acting Solicitor-General, Felix Mbeki, gave an overview during the proceedings, including statistics as to how work is being allocated and which processes had to be followed to be considered.
He also painted a positive picture on how practitioners called upon to do work for the State are paid within the stipulated 30-day payment frame.
This sparked an emotional outcry from many of the lawyers present, who said these were simply wrong and that these figures did not represent the plight of the smaller black firms who are being overlooked.
Mbeki gave the assurance that since the establishment of the Office of the Solicitor-General, a structured and policy-driven approach has been implemented to promote fairness, transparency, and inclusivity in the allocation of state legal work.
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