Faculty of Law
Prof CH Heyns, Dean
Telephone number: 012 420 2412
Fax number: 012 362 5184
E-mail address: christof.heyns@up.ac.za
Message by the Dean
The Faculty of Law sees itself as a research faculty, which means that, in addition to its undergraduate programme, it also has a strong focus on postgradate programmes and research. During the year under review, the faculty made significant progress towards its goal of reducing its undergraduate students, while growing its postgraduate numbers.
The faculty has continued its efforts to expand its research focus to include not only South African national law, but also comparative law and international law. Faculty members published in prestigious journals such as the American Journal of International Law.
Research conducted in the different departments of the faculty covered virtually all areas of law and dealt with issues such as the protection of the official languages under the Constitution, the involuntary detention of patients with tuberculosis, government responsibility for potholes in public roads, reckless credit provision, wrongful arrest, the protection of journalists’ sources, class actions and breach of contract, anti-dumping and transformative constitutionalism.
The Centre for Human Rights conducted research for the United Nations on international human rights protection in South-east Asia, and assisted the Southern African Development Community (SADC), as well as the East African Community (EAC), with legislative drafting.
It also published a major study assessing the work done by the New Partnership for Africa’s Development (NEPAD).
The Centre for Child Law conducted research and made submissions on the revision of the Maintenance Act and the Child Justice Act, and assisted the Department of Social Development with developing its adoption policy.
A full-time or structured doctoral programme was introduced and the first four students were admitted. This programme runs parallel to the ordinary doctoral programme and primarily attracts international students.
Publications such as Constitutional Law of South Africa were updated and the faculty served as the African hub for the Oxford University online publication, International law in domestic courts law reports.
The regular faculty publications De Jure, the African Human Rights Law Journal, the African Human Rights Law Reports and the Pretoria Student Law Review all saw new editions. A new publication, Constitutional Court Review, was launched at a meeting at the court. The process of turning De Jure into an online publication was started.
The system of regular departmental research meetings, often also involving extraordinary professors and other outside experts, was expanded.
A World Bank grant allowed the expansion of the Law of Africa Collection in the Oliver R Tambo Law Library, as well as the publication of eleven new titles by the Pretoria University Law Press (PULP).
Three staff members were granted fellowships to conduct research at the Stellenbosch Institute for Advanced Studies and a number of staff members conducted research overseas, for example, at Birkbeck College.
Prof Christof Heyns
Dean: Law
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