Stellenbosch University (SU) is hosting a series of online discussions to engage with students on a range of social justice topics in 2021.
The series of discussions, known as the Social Justice Café (SJC), is run by the SU social justice hub, according to Emile Vercuil, a student researcher and LLD candidate at SU’s faculty of law, and an organizer and co-facilitator of the SJC. The first SJC discussion covered the topic of inequality in education on 18 March, according to Vercuil.
“The café is a fantastic initiative for students to be involved in because they can direct the discourse,” said Kopane Lebele, chairperson of Students for Law and Social Justice (SLSJ) at SU. “The hope is that one day students will be active members of society that can contribute positively, and being involved in discussions like these is imperative to the kind of person they will be later on,” added Lebele.
Lebele will be a panelist in the upcoming SJC, which will take place on 21 April, according to an announcement on the social justice hub website. This SJC will explore the topics of restitution, affirmative action and Broad-based Black Economic Empowerment (BEE), according to Vercuil. It will be spearheaded by Penelope Andrews, a legal scholar and transformation advocate, he said.
“The [Social Justice] Café started in 2019 and was previously hosted at SU’s law faculty. It has since moved online due to Covid-19,” said Vercuil.
Holding the SJC online has made it easier to access and host a wide variety of keynote speakers, as the speakers can now be anywhere on the globe, according to Vercuil.
“Keynote speakers with extensive experience and expertise on a specific topic [are selected],” said Professor Thuli Madonsela, the law trust chair in social justice, in written correspondence with MatieMedia. After the keynote speaker’s address, there is a panel discussion involving four panellists and the audience, she explained.
The panelists are chosen by a social justice team and often include students, said Vercuil. According to Vercuil, having students on the panel “maximises interaction with young people”. The attendance of the SJC is open to anyone, including students, government officials, academics and ambassadors, he said.
Article updated on 20 April 2021