John Dugard's legacy to human rights activism and litigation : panel discussion

The first day of the conference was dedicated to John Dugard's work and legacy in human rights law in South Africa. This day addressed John's extensive academic contributions, as well as his more practical and strategic interventions in relation to human rights advocacy and litigation. One of the highlights of the day was a panel of past and present human rights lawyers and advocates, all of whom had had been influenced and inspired by John both directly and indirectly. Gilbert Marcus and Halton Cheadle both worked at the Centre for Applied Legal Studies (CALS), founded by John Dugard at the Wits School of Law in 1978. Jody Kollapen, outgoing chairperson of the SA Human Rights Commission, met John as a young law student. Their contributions attest to John's enormous influence on anti-apartheid legal work in the 1980s and beyond. Fatima Hassan, Stuart Wilson and Jackie Dugard all worked at CALS after John's departure in 1979, and speak to its continuing tradition of human rights work, and John's legacy. The panel was chaired by Dennis Davis, who succeeded John Dugard as CALS director in 1979.