The Pan African Bar Association of South Africa is a national voluntary association of advocates, enrolled as such in accordance with the Legal Practice Act, 2014 (LPA).

PABASA is a representative of the advocates’ profession with its primary purpose to maintain professional standards amongst its members and liaise on behalf of its members with the statutory regulatory body for legal practitioners, the Legal Practice Council.

In carrying out this role, PABASA’s overarching purpose is to provide an environment in which Black advocates, in particular, can grow and thrive.   PABASA’s membership is committed to independence, professionalism, excellence, the promotion of democracy and gender equality.  In addition, we are committed to practicing our profession in a non-racist, non-sexist and open environment.

Central to PABASA’s value proposition is the dismantling of patriarchy and the achievement of gender equality within the advocates profession.  To do so, we aim to build a professional environment that is welcoming to all our members, regardless of their gender or sexual orientation.

The PABASA constitution therefore provides for a gender balance across its membership, and the policies of the Association include measures to prohibit sexist and discriminatory conduct within the profession.

The School of Advocacy will train new entrants to the profession to become practitioners of the highest quality, unapologetically steeped in African excellence, rejecting all notions of law and constitutionalism that are designed to perpetuate the myth of African inferiority.  The School will also offer continuing legal education, seminars and talks for established members of the profession.

Importantly, PABASA will in its own name and through the work of its members:

  • seek to take up cases that ameliorate the plight of working-class and vulnerable people of all walks of life;
  • seek to remedy the vestiges of apartheid and colonialism and to give effect to the principles of the Constitution and the Bill of Rights.

To this end, PABASA has already participated as amicus curiae in the following cases of national importance:

PABASA has chambers in the following areas:

– PABASA Arcadian Chambers: 748 Stanza Bopape Street, Arcadia, Pretoria, 0083

– PABASA Bloemfontein Chambers: Suite no. 7, Hydropark Centre, 100 Kellner Street, Westdene, Bloemfontein

– PABASA Mthatha Chambers: Frere Road, Norwood, 5100 Mthatha

– PABASA Sandton Chambers: 82 Maude Street, Sandton, Johannesburg, 2031

– PABASA Tshwane Chambers: Block A, 6th Floor, Loftus Park, 402 Kirkness Street Arcardia, Pretoria