Boston City Campus continues to grow its scholarly footprint in South Africa’s legal academic community. Two members of faculty - Dr Tina Kotzé, Boston Research and Didactics Lead in Law & Ethics (and Research Associate at the University of Pretoria), and Ms Gadiël Robbertze, Boston Academic & Quality Manager and PhD candidate at the University of the Witwatersrand—recently presented at two of the South Africa’s premier legal conferences in 2025.
Their contributions reflect Boston’s commitment to socially responsive, constitutionally grounded legal education and align with the values and intellectual vision informing the institution’s newly launched LLB degree.
Private Law and Constitutional Values: UFS 2025
At the International Conference on Transformative Constitutionalism and Private Law, hosted by the University of the Free State, both academics contributed to a national conversation on the evolving role of constitutional values in private law.
- Dr Kotzé presented "(Sharing) Property in Transition: A Transformative Constitutional Approach to Renewable Energy Servitudes", exploring how property law can contribute to a just energy transition grounded in principles of equality, dignity, and sustainability.
- Ms Robbertze delivered "Reimagining the African Home in Family Law", interrogating the dominance of Eurocentric concepts in South African private law and advocating for a more pluralistic, context-sensitive legal framework in line with transformative constitutionalism.
These papers reinforce the academic and ethical pillars of Boston’s LLB: a qualification rooted in constitutional values, practical relevance, and a commitment to social justice.
National Recognition at SALTC 2025
At the recently concluded Southern African Law Teachers Conference (SALTC), held from 13–18 July 2025, Dr Kotzé and Ms Robbertze once again represented Boston City Campus on a national stage.
- Dr Kotzé, in collaboration with Prof Gustav Muller (Chair of Research in Law at the University of Pretoria), presented "Taking Charge: Deploying Expropriation to Build a Resilient Energy Future". The paper considered how constitutionally grounded expropriation mechanisms could support the urgent expansion of renewable energy infrastructure in South Africa in light of the Sustainable Development Goals.
- Ms Robbertze presented "Beyond Formal Recognition? The Constitution and the Functional Family in South Africa", continuing her research in family law with a focus on the legal recognition of domestic partnerships and the constitutional imperative for substantive equality.
Both contributions were well received and further positioned Boston’s legal academics as active participants in shaping contemporary legal thought in South Africa.
From Scholarship to Curriculum
Boston City Campus views academic engagement as a vital component of its teaching mission. Participation in forums such as UFS and SALTC 2025 ensures that the LLB curriculum remains:
- responsive to emerging legal debates,
- intellectually robust, and
- socially engaged.
These contributions not only enrich institutional knowledge but also shape the kind of legal education Boston aspires to offer—one that equips graduates to navigate legal challenges with integrity, critical insight, and a clear commitment to justice.
Boston City Campus congratulates Dr Kotzé and Ms Robbertze on their achievements and thanks them for their continued leadership in advancing transformative legal education.
Semester B registrations for the LLB degree are extended to 15 August 2025.
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Because building a just society starts with the law - and with you.