Brigitte Mabandla Justice

enable Justice College to be able to recover costs of providing training to other entities. The Technical Assistance Unit of the National Treasury was approached to conduct a preliminary study on the viability and sustainability of cost recovery. The outcome of this study suggested that if Justice College were to levy fees then it would have to be a registered entity in terms of the Public Finance Management Act, Act 1 of 1999 and based on the magnitude of the intended market it will not reach a state of self-sufficiency. However, the National Treasury at the time advised that Justice College keep the existing model wherein external delegates carry the costs of their travel and upkeep for the duration of the course and that ways be sought to pass the lecturer time and material costs to those delegates. In 2015, Dr Linda Meyer was appointed as the Head of then Justice College. It was during this period that the College focused on formalisation of its programmes with the authorities. Attempts were made to accredit the programme with the Council for Higher Education (CHE). These efforts were thwarted by the legal standing of the then Justice College as it was not a registered and accredited as a Higher Education Institute by the Council for Higher Education. “I see lots of opportunities for us to reposition Justice College as a service provider of choice within the public and legal sector. Another key focus area will be around civil society and the contribution that Justice College can make to improve access to social justice.” - Dr L. Meyer (2015).

As an initial joint project, the Justice College in Pretoria, South Africa, was the site of a week-long oral advocacy skills course, for 27 criminal and civil litigators from the Ministry of Justice from around the country in December. California Deputy Attorney General Alice Lustre and Alabama Assistant Attorney General Megan Kirkpatrick led the course, which was organized on the ground by CWAG representative Kim Robinson. Dr. Linda Meyer, Director of the Justice College, and the other attendees participated in a lively exchange of experiences and perspectives of our two justice systems.

Dr Linda Meyer, Head Justice College

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Brigitte Mabandla | Justice College | Memoir