Hosted by the Department of Mercantile Law Faculty of Law, University of Pretoria South Africa

20 to 22 September 2016

EBrochure

2016 University of Pretoria International Consumer Law Conference (UPICLC)

Dear Conference Delegates

The Department of Mercantile Law in the Faculty of Law at the University of Pretoria, South Africa, is looking forward to receiving the UPICLC conference keynote speakers, participants and attendees and the consequent academic cross-polination of and disciplinary affiliation in Consumer Protection Law.

Please note that:

>>> The conference programme is subject to change and thus you are requested to visit the appropriate webpage frequently in this regard.>>> Guests will immediately depart by bus from the University of Pretoria to the game drive venue at conclusion of the formal programme on 21 September. Therefore guests must ensure that they have appropriate comfortable shoes and jackets (it cools down rapidly at night) at hand at the end of the formal programme.

South Africa

South Africa, officially the Republic of South Africa (RSA), is the southernmost sovereign state in Africa. It is bounded on the south by 2,798 kilometres of coastline of Southern Africa stretching along the South Atlantic and Indian Oceans, on the north by the neighbouring countries of Namibia, Botswana and Zimbabwe, and on the east and northeast by Mozambique and Swaziland, and surrounding the kingdom of Lesotho.

South Africa is the 25th-largest country in the world by land area, and with close to 53 million people, is the world's 24th-most populous nation.

About 80 percent of South Africans are of Sub-Saharan African ancestry, divided among a variety of ethnic groups speaking different Bantu languages, nine of which have official status. The remaining population consists of Africa's largest communities of European (white), Asian (Indian), and multiracial (coloured) ancestry.

South Africa is a multi-ethnic society encompassing a wide variety of cultures, languages, and religions. Its pluralistic makeup is reflected in the constitution's recognition of 11 official languages, which is among the highest number of any country in the world. Since 1994, all ethnic and linguistic groups have had political representation in the country's democracy, which comprises a parliamentary republic and nine provinces. South Africa is often referred to as the "Rainbow Nation" to describe the country's newly developing multicultural diversity in the wake of segregationist apartheid ideology.

South Africa has been identified as a middle power in international affairs, and maintains significant regional influence.

Pretoria

Pretoria is a city in the northern part of Gauteng Province, South Africa. It is one of the country's three capital cities, serving as the seat of the executive branch of government (Cape Town is the legislative capital and Bloemfontein the judicial capital). Pretoria has a reputation for being an academic city with three universities and the Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) located in its eastern suburbs, the city also hosts the South African Bureau of Standards making the city a hub for research.

Pretoria is the central part of the City of Tshwane Metropolitan Municipality which was formed by the amalgamation of several former local authorities including Centurion and Soshanguve. Pretoria is known within South Africa as the "Jacaranda City" due to the thousands of Jacaranda trees planted in its streets, parks and gardens.

Pretoria is situated approximately 55 km (34 mi) north-northeast of Johannesburg in the northeast of South Africa, in a transitional belt between the plateau of the Highveld to the south and the lower-lying Bushveld to the north. It lies at an altitude of about 1,339 m (4,393 ft) above sea level, in a warm, sheltered, fertile valley, surrounded by the hills of the Magaliesberg range.

University of Pretoria

The University of Pretoria is a multi-campus public research university in Pretoria, the administrative and de facto capital of South Africa. The university was established in 1908 as the Pretoria campus of the Johannesburg-based Transvaal University College and is the fourth South African institution in continuous operation to be awarded university status. The university has grown from the original 32 students in a single late Victorian house to approximately 39,000 in 2010. The University was built on 7 suburban campuses on 1,120 hectares (2,800 acres).

The university is commonly referred to as UP, Tuks, or Tukkies and in post-nominals the university is typically abbreviated as Pret or UP, although Pretoria is also used in official publications.

The university’s main campus and central administration offices are situated in the suburb of Hatfield, Pretoria and houses six of the nine faculties. The campus, bordered by the suburb of Brooklyn to the south and Hatfield to the north, was built over 24 hectares and has more than 60 buildings of historical value.

Adjacent to the Hatfield campus is the LC de Villiers Sport Grounds High Performance Centre which were developed on an area of 76 ha. Adjacent to the sport grounds is the university's experimental farm, which is used to conduct field experiments for the Faculty of Natural and Agricultural Sciences. The campus is served by the Hatfield Gautrain station connecting Pretoria and Johannesburg. A university bus shuttle service operates between the Hatfield campus and the Groenkloof and Prinshof campuses, whilst a park-and-ride shuttle service operates between the Hatfield campus and the LC de Villiers Sport Grounds.

Faculty of Law

Not often is a faculty of law in a position where it has the opportunity and the capacity to have a direct impact upon the country and the continent where it is situated, and as such upon the global pursuit of the rule of law. The Faculty of Law of the University of Pretoria, now in its 108th year, under the leadership of Dean André Boraine and Deputy Dean Anton Kok, has established itself as a central role-player in the South African legal system, and as a gateway between a unique network of Africa law faculties and the rest of the world.

The vision of the Faculty of Law is to strive to be an internationally recognised leader in socially relevant legal research and education in South Africa and in Africa. In pursuing its vision, the Faculty of Law has as its mission the creation and sustenance of a research and education environment that is grounded in values of social justice and excellence. We foster an inquiry-led and evidence-based approach to creating knowledge and academic citizenship, whereby we commit ourselves to harnessing our intellectual abilities in the interest of our nation and humanity. At the Faculty of Law we challenge ourselves to use this unique position to provide leadership through our staff and students in a quest to establish more effective and just legal systems in South Africa and on the Africa continent, in order to enable our societies to pursue the goals of development, security and justice. This can only be achieved by graduates who understand text as well as context; who have the necessary confidence and skills to be lawyers but also leaers; and through research that does not only take account of and reproduces established ideas, but generates new knowlege and new solutions. In short, this can only be done if we move beyond the current horizons. Of which the University of Pretoria International Consumer Law Conference (UPICLC) is a typical example.

Department of Mercantile Law

The Department of Mercantile Law, under the leadership of Professor Monray Botha, is the largest department in the Faculty of Law and has 22 full-time lecturers. The Department has a proud tradition in excellent teaching and research. Twelve of its staff members hold LLD degrees. Many staff members are recognised, both nationally and internationally, as excellent researchers and teachers. Some of our members of staff serve on legislative bodies and editorial boards and many are recognised as specialists in their respective fields.

The Department boasts the fact that it is a young and dynamic department with up and coming researchers as well as more established international and NRF-rated researchers. Teaching and learning as well as research are important building blocks which are evident from the high levels of teaching and learning practices that are utilised as well as research that is not only relevant but also dictates policy and direction and has a real impact. As part of the Department's vision to prepare well-rounded individuals who are able to play an active role in the commercial world, the Department offers a wide range of subjects and courses at both undergraduate and postgraduate levels.The Department is unique in that it is the only department in the Faculty that not only provides tuition to law students, but also to students from various other Faculties, such as the Faculty of Economic and Management Sciences and the Faculty of Engineering, the Built Environment and Information Technology.

Click to access the UPICLC's:

Abstracts

Keynote speakers

Programme

Hatfield Campus, University of Pretoria: GPS coordinates: S25° 45’ 21” E28º 13’ 51”Please note that the Law Building is No. 41 on the campus map following hereon.

Please note that the Law Building is No. 41 on this map

The Faculty of Law extends its appreciation to the following sponsors: