On 11 and 12 November 2009, the LRC hosted a workshop in Johannesburg on the Traditional Courts Bill. The Traditional Courts Bill (TCB), presently before the Justice portfolio committee in parliament, is intended to provide for legally recognised courts that will serve as forums for hearing and adjudicating on disputes and cases in communal areas. The Bill gives more power to traditional leaders and entrenches the geographical jurisdiction of the traditional courts under boundaries drawn by the apartheid authorities.

This workshop was successful in bringing together rural communities, women's and gender rights organisations, human and legal rights organisations, trade unions, religious bodies and other interested civil society organisations together to broaden debate on the Traditional Courts Bill into the provinces and remote rural areas that would otherwise go unreached, and equip them to engage directly with the legislative process.

For more information on this topic and to keep abreast of future workshops and education opportunities please visit the LRC website.