Final-year Law students from the University of Venda (UNIVEN) recently visited the University of KwaZulu-Natal’s (UKZN) School of Law, a trip aimed at engaging with renowned academics and learning best practices in the field of law.
Students were warmly welcomed by Professor Freddy Mnyongani, Dean and Head of the School of Law, who gave an overview of the School’s richness in history, having been established in 1910, which students got to tour.
The highlight of the visit was an engaging session with Professor Donrich Thaldar, a leading expert in Medical Law and Chair of the Health Law and Ethics Research Interest Group at UKZN.
Having also served as legal counsel in several landmark cases in the field of reproductive law (reprolaw) in South Africa, Thaldar connected with students through medical cases with students, with the latest case being ‘the constitutionality of the statutory prohibition on non-medical preimplantation sex selection’. This sparked a debate amongst students also providing a glimpse into the diverse career paths available within the legal profession.
Thaldar advised students, saying: ‘Postgraduate studies go beyond just completing the course; your research topic should be chosen with an eye on the contributions you want to make in that particular field.’
The students were also exposed to UKZN’s syllabus in medical law as well as postgraduate programmes available to them by Dr Vishal Surbun, Senior Lecturer in the School of Law and the Unit for Maritime Law and Maritime Studies, and Ms Gina Mshengu, post-graduate administrator for full Research Master’s, who gave detailed information on UKZN’s part-time and full-time offerings.
Mshengu further unpacked the various funding and opportunities for prospective students, making the path to advanced legal education more accessible.
The visit provided Univen students with valuable insights and a deeper understanding of the opportunities available to further their studies and specialisation in Law at UKZN, where a student Mr Phathatshedzo Mulaudzi commented: ‘From this experience, I gained insight on how to go about furthering my studies specifically in medical law, my vision seems to be clearer about the fields I would like to tap into for my postgraduate studies.’
Words and Photograph: Ayanda Radebe