Ms Brigitte Mabandla

Minister of Justice & Constitutional Development

Personal

Date of birth: 23 November 1948

Academic Qualifications

LL B degree, University of Zambia (1979)

Career

• Youth Coordinator at Institute of Race Relations (Durban). Initiated concept of "open" and "winter" school, thus enabling children from all racial groups to interact and participate in educational programmes (1974 - 1975)
• Taught Law and English at the Botswana Technical College (1981 - 1983)
• Taught Commercial Law at the Botswana Institute of Administration and Commerce (1983 - 1986)
• Member of the ANC Legal and Constitutional Affairs Department (1986 - 1990)
  • Conducted research in children's rights and women's human rights
  • Attended international conferences on human rights
  • Represented the ANC at Human Rights Convention in Geneva
• Member of the ANC's Constitutional Committee (1990 - 1994)

  Research focus: gender and children as well as the constitutionalisation of social and economic rights

• Founder Member of the National Committee for the Rights of the Child (NCRC)

  Convenor of the Legal Committee of the NCRC which submitted the clause on children's rights (now in the Interim Constitution)

• Projects at the Community Law Centre (University of the Western Cape)
  • Coordinated a gender project on the promotion of women's rights and research in women's constitutional rights
  • Provided back-up to the ANC negotiating team
  • Organised conferences and seminars on women's rights
  • Founded child rights project at the Community Law Centre, University of the Western Cape. Areas of focus were research in juvenile justice and child labour as well as advocacy for the advancement of the rights of the child
  • Two international conferences were organised to determine child-related policies for SA
• Women's Coalition.

  Founder member of the Women's Coalition as a facilitator in the early stages of popularising the concept of a coalition. Addressed the subject at numerous women's forums in SA

• International Networking
  • Worked closely with NGOs and experts in Human Rights viz; minority rights, children's rights, disabled people's rights and in particular, women's rights.
  • Worked with the Global Network for the advancement of Women's Human Rights, preparing for the 1993 Vienna Conference on the UN Charter Collaboration with the UN Division for the Advancement of Women
  • Undertook a 10-day study trip to study the UN Agenda for the Advancement of Women (1990)
  • Participated at the UN meeting of experts for the Development of a Global Human Rights Education Programme in Bratislava, Yugoslavia (1992)
• Constitutional and Human Rights Educational Tours

  Undertook educational tours to the following countries: Sweden, Canada, Germany, USA (1988 - 1993)

• Current position:

  Deputy Minister of Arts, Culture, Science and Technology in the South African Government (from 18 April 1995)

Memberships/Positions/Other activities

Board member of the following trusts:

• National Committee for the Rights of Children (NCRC)
• Community Based Development Programme (CBDP)
• Grassroots Early Childhood Education Project
• Community Peace Foundation

Publications

Contributed a few articles to local and international publications on human rights (1989 - 1993)

Source: Deputy Ministry of Arts, Culture, Science and Technology,   31 August 1995