Women in the legal fraternity commemorated the centenary of the Women Legal Practice Act of 1923, which paved the way for women to join the legal fraternity in the country.

Ceremonial sittings to commemorate the centenary of the act were held in Gauteng, KwaZulu-Natal and North West on Tuesday. 

The occasion was hosted in collaboration with the South African Chapter of the International Association of Women Judges and the 100More Campaign.

The Office of the Chief Justice said the sittings were significant as they highlighted the milestones of women, who were not allowed to work in the legal fraternity until 100 years ago.

Honorary guests who attended the Gauteng High Court sitting in Johannesburg included the family of Desiree Finca, the first black woman attorney.

Several women took to the podium to reflect on the profession over the last 100 years.

Advocate Kgomotso Moroka SC, from the Johannesburg Society of Advocates, said she succeeded after facing several challenges.

She said that while some progress had been made to advance women in the legal field in the last century, more work was needed before women could say "I have arrived".

Moroka also lamented a lack of equality, saying black women were treated differently from their counterparts.

"There are only nine women of colour at the Johannesburg Bar, and they are never treated the same as their counterparts," she added.

Advocate Salome Manganye, from the Pan African Bar Association of South Africa (Pabaso), echoed Moroka's sentiments, saying black women breaking into the legal field were "pushed back", paid less and deprived of opportunities. She said their poor treatment was an indignity.

In Pretoria, Vijayta Rana from the Pretoria Attorneys Association commended the organisation, which she said had at least 50% women representation. She said the legal fraternity could do more to ensure women were adequately represented in leadership positions.

She added: "We must continue to work towards greater diversity and inclusion to ensure that all legal profession members were treated with fairness and respect. We should continue to invest in the development and mentorship of women and encourage girls to seek growth and greater opportunities."

Advocate Kagiso Magano, from the Tshwane Society of Advocates, mentioned several legal firms and associations, including Pabasa, saying male lawyers far outnumbered women in senior positions.

"What are we doing, as the profession, to address these issues? One can easily say, 'Appoint women to the Bench', but is that enough? Women should be appointed and given the same support that would have been given to their male counterparts," she added.

Magano paid tribute to Finca, saying her struggle was regarding gender and race.

"Yours was not an easy journey. Thank you for all that you have done. We wish you were here to experience the strides we have made," she said.