Cape Bar Quotas

This matter resulted from a quota battle between the Cape Bar Council and the Minister of Justice about the correct application of quotas in the final placing of candidates to serve on the council. The Cape Bar Council brought an application against the Western Cape Legal Practice Council and the Minister of Justice because one of its candidates had not been elected to the Council because of the quota for women (in spite of her majority of votes). Sakeliga joined as friend of the court not to assist in determining the “correct” application of quotas, but to demonstrate the inappropriate and unsuitable nature of quotas per se. The Cape Bar Council did not succeed in its application for placing its selected candidate and the setting aside of the Legal Practice Board’s quota system. The court did not make any specific ruling concerning Sakeliga’s arguments.