The University of KwaZulu-Natal and the Gandhi Luthuli Documentation Centre cordially invite you to the 2026 Dr Phyllis Naidoo Memorial Lecture.
THEME: The 30th Anniversary of the adoption of the Constitution of South Africa 1996 and the 70th Anniversary of the 1956 Women’s March to the Union Buildings
DATE : Friday, 28 August 2026
Registration and Tea : 12h15-12h45
TIME : 13h00 (SAST)
GUEST SPEAKER
Professor Karthy Govender
Professor Karthy Govender holds law degrees from England, (LLB – London), from South Africa (LLB – Natal – Summa Cum Laude), and from the USA (LLMMichigan). He was a professor at UKZN for more than 20 years. He is a barrister of the Middle Temple (England) and an advocate of the High Court of South Africaand has acted as a judge of the High Court on a number of occasions. He has litigated in constitutional and administrative law matters. Professor Govender was appointed to the South African Human Rights Commission by President Mandela in 1995 and re-appointed for a second term in 2002 by President Mbeki. He has published in the fields of Constitutional and Administrative law. Professor Govender won a Fulbright Scholarship to the University of Michigan and was also the recipient of the Colenso Scholarship to St. John’s College Cambridge. He has presented papers and lectured on five continents. He is a regular visiting professor at the University of Michigan. Currently he is a commissioner on the SA Law Reform Commission, is a panel member of the Appeal Panel of the SA Press Council and a senior arbitrator with the South African Local Government Bargaining Council.
RESPONSE
MS LWANDO XASO
Ms Lwando Xaso is a former constitutional lawyer and writer. She practised as a lawyer at two of South Africa’s big firms focusing on constitutional law. She was deeply impacted by her experience of clerking at the Constitutional Court of South Africa for Justice Edwin Cameron which taught her that law alone cannot change the world, which inspired her multi-disciplinary practice at the intersection of creativity and social justice. She is the author of Made in South Africa; A Black Woman’s Stories of Rage, Resistance and Progress which was long listed for the Sunday Times CNA Literary Award for nonfiction. She is the cofounder and director of the Creativity for Social Change Hub, an advisor to the Moleskine Foundation, the founder of the platform @includingsociety, a Trustee of the Constitutional Court of South Africa and also a 2022 Atlantic Fellow for Racial Equity.
MS SAYURI SIVRAMAN
Ms Sayuri Sivraman is a PhD candidate in History at the University of KwaZulu- Natal and a member of the teaching staff in the Department of History at the Pietermaritzburg campus. She completed her Master of Social Science in History at UKZN, where the master’s dissertation examined Phyllis Naidoo’s exile correspondence, exploring her political activism and personal experiences in Lesotho between 1978 and 1983. Miss Sivraman current doctoral research explores the representation of women in apartheid-era newspapers in KwaZulu- Natal. The research interests include gender history, political activism, and liberation history.
MR PHELELANI MKHIZE
Program Coordinator at Imam Development Program. Mr Mkhize holds two undergraduate degrees: Bachelor of Social Science (UKZN) and Bachelor of Commerce(Regent Business School of Business). Currently he is reading for Bachelor of Social Science Honours (International Relations, UKZN).
SUMMARY AND CONCLUDING REMARKS
PROFESSOR DASARATH CHETTY
Professor Dasarath Chetty is the former Pro-Vice-Chancellor and Executive Director for Corporate Relations at the University of KwaZulu-Natal. Under his leadership, the Division received 38 Communications Excellence Awards, including four from the Association of Commonwealth Universities. A sociologist with over 20 years of teaching experience, he has presented more than 90 invited papers in 31 countries and published widely. Holding BA, BA (Hons), MA, and PhD degrees in Organisational Sociology, Professor Chetty is widely recognised for his expertise in leadership, strategic communication, policy development, and executive training.
RSVP HERE: DR PHYLLIS NAIDOO MEMORIAL LECTURE
Enquiries Only: Thiru Munsamy – email – Munsamyt@ukzn.ac.za
Pamela Adams – email – adamsp@ukzn.ac.za