With Women’s Month still fresh in our minds, what better time to introduce a phenomenal woman who has earned her stripes in advocating for the advancement and protection of women and their role in society?
Meet Thabang Pooe, an LLB graduate from the North-West University (NWU) who went on to join SECTION27, a public interest law centre in South Africa, as a fellow through a programme with Students for Law and Social Justice (SLSJ).
Determined to make her mark in the public interest and legal space, Thabang was then appointed to serve as a law clerk for Justice Mbuyiseli, a judge of the Constitutional Court. This is an opportunity for which Thabang remains grateful to this day.
Once she had completed her law clerk period, she returned to SECTION27 as a litigation fellow to the Director of Litigation and further went on to earn an LLM qualification at the University of California Los Angeles, specialising in public interest law and policy.
While studying, she also volunteered at the Los Angeles HIV Legal Programme, a centre dedicated to providing legal assistance to people living with HIV in Los Angeles County.
Currently, Thabang is a senior researcher for SECTION27, providing strategic direction and input on policy, litigation and advocacy. She is also a board member for two organisations: Out in Africa Ride, which supports African NGOs working on Lesbian Bisexual Gay and Transgender (LBGT) rights groups, and the Southern African Policy Alliance.
A staunch proponent of women’s and minority rights, Thabang is involved in various advocacy initiatives including a sexual violence campaign initiative where representation is offered to learners who have been subjected to sexual violence by their teachers. She has also assisted in representing the Treatment Action Campaign and Sonke Gender Justice organisations to intervene in the biggest class action in South Africa (where mineworkers sued gold mining companies for failing to prevent and manage silicosis).
While the impact of these initiatives is visible, Thabang stresses the importance of ensuring the stories of women who had suffered as a result of the mining companies' negligence were told publicly.
Over and above these and other women’s and minority rights initiatives, Thabang regularly contributes articles in publications such as the Mail & Guardian and Daily Maverick in order to build awareness about unpaid care work and the need to recognise the impact of mining on women.
Thabang Poee advocates the advancement and protection of women and their role in society.
