Faizel Patel – 24/12/2020
Judge Sirajudien (Siraj) Desai says he did not have a love for the law, but rather had a love for the struggle of South Africa which started at the age of 14 while he was at Trafalgar High School in KwaZulu-Natal.
Judge Desai was speaking to Radio Islam on Thursday following his appointment by President Cyril Ramaphosa as the Legal Services Ombud.
In terms of the Legal Practice Act, Judge Desai is empowered to investigate complaints, alleged maladministration and actions which may affect the integrity of the legal profession, among others.
Judge Desai whose tenure on the bench has ended after 25 years says he’s elated by his appointment as Legal Services Ombud.
“The ombud in terms of the act contemplates is a personal ombud who will promote the public interest in relation to rendering of legal services and to ensure that there is efficient and effective investigation of complaints of misconduct by attorneys.”
He says ultimately the function of the ombud will be to raise the ethics of legal practices.
“I have been a lawyer for 43 years and I’ve seen a steady decline in the standard of practice, not simply in the quality of practice, but in the ethics of practice. But some of it was necessary because we came from known colonial older and archaic roots. But even in a constitutional state, it’s important to maintain certain basic norms and standards, ethics as we call them.”
An emotional Judge Desai paid tribute to all those who supported him during his illustrious career.
“I’d like to thank everybody. I’ve had a long legal career and in a successful legal career there are many participants. I cannot end any discussion about my career without the thanks of my family, my wife…my late wife and everybody else that played a role in my career.”
Judge Desai says the success of the Legal Services Ombud depends on the person that occupies it, adding that sufficient budget be made available to implement the tasks that the office is entrusted with.
Listen to the interview with Judge Siraj Desai
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