Prof Anton (JA) Kok

Academic profile

Prof Anton Kok holds the degrees BCom (Law) LLB LLM LLD (Pret). After completing his articles of clerkship at Deneys Reitz Inc (now Norton Rose Fulbright), Sandton, Anton was appointed senior lecturer to the Department of Legal History, Comparative Law and Legal Philosophy (now the Department of Jurisprudence) in 1999. He completed his doctorate in March 2008, entitled “A socio-legal analysis of the Promotion of Equality and Prevention of Unfair Discrimination Act 4 of 2000”. He was promoted to associate professor in 2010. He was appointed as the Programme Coordinator for the LLB for 2008 and 2009 and as Deputy Dean of the Faculty in 2010. He was appointed as acting dean from January to October 2011. He was reappointed for a second term as Deputy Dean in 2014 until June 2018.

At undergraduate level, Anton has taught Legal Skills, Critical Race and Gender, Introduction to Law, Law and Literature and Human Rights and coordinated Essay and Seminar 410. At postgraduate level he has taught on Discrimination Law in the LLM (Human Rights and Constitutional Practice), LLM (Human Rights and Democratisation in Africa) and the LLM/MPhil (Multi-disciplinary human rights).

Focus areas

His main areas of interest are equality legislation, human rights and legal education.

Recent publications

“The Promotion of Equality and Prevention of Unfair Discrimination Act 4 of 2000: Court-driven or legislature-driven societal transformation?” (2008) 19 Stellenbosch Law Review 122-142.
"The potential effectiveness of the Promotion of Equality and Prevention of Unfair Discrimination Act 4 of 2000" 2008 (33) Journal for Juridical Science (Tydskrif vir Regswetenskap) 42-68
“The Promotion of Equality and Prevention of Unfair Discrimination Act 4 of 2000: Proposals for Legislative Reform” 2008 (24) South African Journal on Human Rights 445-471
“Which is the appropriate forum when hate speech occurs in the workplace: The Equality Court or Labour Court? Strydom v Chiloane 2008 (2) SA 247 (T)” 2009 (24) SA Public Law
"An analysis of the planning and implementation of the training of Equality Court personnel relating to the Promotion of Equality and Prevention of Unfair Discrimination Act 4 of 2000 parts 1, 2, 3 and 4" 2010 (43) De Jure 38 - 75 and 271 - 307.
“Not so hunky-dory: Failing to distinguish between differentiation and discrimination: Standard Bank of SOuth Africa Ltd v Hunkydory Investments 194 (Pty) Ltd [No 1] 2010 1 SA 627 (C)” 2011 (74) Tydskrif vir Hedendaagse Romeins-Hollandse Reg 340-346
“Die siviele verbod op haatspraak – “Shoot the Boer” in die gelykheidshof, hoë hof en die uisaaiklagtetribunaal” 2014 (11) Litnet Akademies 198-219 (with L Botha)
“A consumer’s fundamental right to equality in terms of the Consumer Protection Act and the role of the Promotion of Equality and Prevention of Unfair Discrimination Act” 2015 (78) Tydskrif vir Hedendaagse Romeins-Hollandse Reg 1-23 (with J Barnard)
“The Promotion of Equality and Prevention of Unfair Discrimination Act 4 of 2000: How to balance religious freedom and other human rights in the Higher Education sphere” 2017 (31) South African Journal of Higher Education 25-44

NRF rating

Anton is a C2 NRF rated researcher.

Academic and professional memberships

Anton is the Local Director of the five-week Practical Legal Training Courses of Legal Education and Development, Law Society of South Africa. He is also a member of Clarity, the Southern African Society of Legal Historians, the Legal Writing Institute, the Suid-Afrikaanse Akademie vir Wetenskap en Kuns, and the Berkeley Comparative Equality & Anti-Discrimination Law Study Group.

Awards & Bursaries

In 2016 Anton was appointed as the University of Pretoria's coordinator of transformation initiatives dealing with language, curriculum and institutional and residential culture. This process culminated in the adoption of a revised UP language policy and the adoption of a UP policy on curriculum transformation.

In 2014 Anton received the Dux Docens award for his service to the University of Pretoria student community. In the same year he also received an award as a member of the Top Action Learning Project Team of the GIBS University of Pretoria Programme for Academic Leadership.

In 2009 he received funding from the University of Pretoria's Research Development Programme to conduct empirical research on South Africa's equality courts which funding was renewed for 2010 and 2011.

He was awarded “best publication by junior researcher in the Faculty of Law, University of Pretoria” in 2000 and 2001.

Contact Details

Tel: +27 (0)12 420 4436

Email: [email protected]

Online profiles

Academia:

https://antonkok.academia.edu/

Google Scholar:

https://scholar.google.co.za/citations?user=HHGo-nwAAAAJ&hl=en

Researchgate:

https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Anton_Kok

Orcid: