NADEL: A Society For All

Ruth Masinge

On 17 March PDBY interviewed the National Association of Democratic Lawyers society (NADEL) during the university’s Marketing Week at Hatfield Campus.

Many societies and associations had gone all out with banners, freebies and attractions with the aim of recruiting new members, and NADEL was no different. NADEL SC UP branch was founded in 2017; however, they only became registered at UP in 2019. The society presents a rich relationship with the law and legal matters, but their mission and goals extend beyond this. Current NADEL Secretary Itumeleng Moloi explained the society’s purpose as follows: “NADEL is a society founded not only to help law students but all students at large. Some of the things we do is host pad drives [and] food drives and visit orphanages.” When asked why she joined the society, Moloi answered, “I joined the society because I wanted to be a better person. I also wanted exposure; I wanted to help people and be for the people.” she explained.

university to endorse the Climate Justice Charter Movement. [UP] felt like they were doing enough, which I disagree with. We can definitely be doing more.”

One thing she has noticed among students is that they understand what climate change is, but do not understand the nuances surrounding climate justice. “It’s not just about using plastic straws or recycling, [it] is so much deeper than that. It’s a combination of environmental and social justice. It’s intersectional, touching on feminism, land rights, queer rights, and so forth.” According to her, Tuks For Climate Justice wants to challenge students on why they think climate change is happening, what the real obstacles are to achieving a world without climate change, and how different people are affected.

Is there hope?

Kapsosideris and Grobler believe that the students at UP are contributing to the fight for climate justice at UP. “If you look at different research projects on campus, especially in the engineering department, there are lots of projects on renewable energy,” Grobler indicates. He acknowledges that there has been an improvement and provides the increasing digitalisation of classrooms as an example. Furthermore fewer students using paper means a smaller carbon footprint. Kapsosideris concludes that climate activism has been around for years, stretching back to when only indigenous communities were conserving and protecting the land. Grobler and Kapsosideris both attest to the fact that the fight against climate change has never been more important, and that it is vital, no matter how slow progress may be.