Lloyd is appointed as a first Assistant Director (Operations) of the Centre for Human Rights in the Faculty of Law tells Tukkievaria more about the beginning of his career and shares his intended legacy.

When did your law career begin?

My law career started in 1998 when I was appointed as a magistrate at Mutare Magistrates Court in Zimbabwe. I was exposed to the work of a judicial officer from an early age as my father was also a magistrate and I was always fascinated by court proceedings where justice would be dispensed. My High School history teacher, Mr George Mbele was also a lawyer by profession, and I was impressed by his analytical mind. From that time, I decided that someday I would study law.

What did you choose to specialise in?

I chose to specialise in family and human rights law. I was always devoted to family life growing up and my law lecturer at the University of Zimbabwe taught us that any good lawyer should always strive to defend the rights of the oppressed and marginalised. In my undergraduate law studies, I therefore did well in human rights, public international law, family law and civil procedure. In 2005, when I saw an advert for the University of Pretoria LLM program I immediately decided to apply and in 2006 I obtained my LLM degree in human rights and democratisation from the Centre for Human Rights, faculty of law at the University of Pretoria.

Who has been the source of your inspiration?

The late Nelson Mandela, former president of South Africa, has been my inspiration. His passion for justice, human dignity, equality and freedom spurred me on to pursue my career with human rights law institutions at the domestic, regional and international level. Whilst working at these institutions I developed a deep sense for justice and fairness in all facets of life. When I first started my law career, I decided that I would use the law to deliver justice. I became an activist judicial officer, and this did not go down well with some of my learned colleagues who felt that I twisted the law to dispense justice, especially for the less fortunate members of society. Looking back, I realise that I did more human rights protection as a judicial officer than as a human rights lawyer. This might be because judicial officers have the power to make a difference in people’s lives using the law as a tool. It’s the judicial officer who must makes decisions that will affect people’s lives in a personal way. Unfortunately, we are witnessing an erosion of judicial independence and an increase in corruption within the legal fraternity, and this has negatively impacted justice delivery and ultimately, the protection of human rights.

 How was your experience when you first started within the law fraternity?

I have been fortunate to have worked for arguably two of the biggest international NGOs, the International Commission of Jurists and Amnesty International. I joined Amnesty International in 2017 as a regional researcher for Southern Africa due to my extensive knowledge of the region which I acquired whilst working as a regional advocacy manager at the Southern Africa Litigation Centre. Amnesty International’s model is to conduct evidenced based research and carry out broad campaigns which include awareness raising, human rights education and advocacy. This was a perfect fit for me and my time at Amnesty International enhanced my research and advocacy skills.

 Tell us about your previous position, Regional Researcher and Advocacy Manager, how did that come about?

After 20 years of fighting for human rights and justice, I decided it was time for me to inspire colleagues at the cutting edge of human rights research and share my experience in high level advocacy and community engagement. The Centre for Human Rights is a unique hybrid academic, human rights training and advocacy institution and it was an easy choice for me. More importantly, I am a product of the Centre for Human Rights’ flagship LLM in Human Rights and Democratisation in Africa. As a passionate human rights lawyer and democrat at heart, the Centre for Human Rights is the perfect institution for me to serve up my skills for the benefit of the most marginalised and excluded members of society. I am grateful to have been afforded the opportunity to deploy my skills at the Centre for Human Rights.

  Why did you decide to take up this new position? What are you hoping to achieve in this new role?

In my role at the Centre, I hope to forge new partnerships and sustain existing ones, maintain excellent relations with the donor community and African Human Rights mechanisms, support the highly skilled staff in achieving their goals and deploy my extensive advocacy skills to influence policy and legal reforms in many of our countries on the continent. I believe in democratic, transformational and servant leadership that fosters and supports participation, inclusion, innovation and a good working environment.

Historically, the career of law has been perceived by others as a field that is predominantly white, would it say it's true or false?

I do not agree that the legal career is predominantly white. What is true is that most of the top law firms in South Africa are run by white men, largely to South Africa’s history. That is an incident of history. Over the years we have seen an increase in the number of black people and women entering legal practice. The field of law is quite broad with some opting to work in the corporate sector, NGOs, government and academia. There is something for everyone. The area which needs transformation is private practice which is still predominantly white. In the recent past we have seen the rise of successful black and female advocates arguing cases in the superior courts including the constitutional court. This trend must continue and should be supported.

  What are your views on transformation in the workplace?

Transformation in the workplace is a good thing when the ultimate goal is to improve quality of work, innovation and promote equal treatment and inclusion.

There is an external view that the Centre for Human Rights is becoming irrelevant to the general public, what's your take on it?

The view that the Centre is becoming irrelevant to the general public is a perception that comes with the nature of academic institutions. However, the Centre is in the unique position of being both an academic institution and an NGO. The Centre therefore needs to reach out more and address the challenges being faced by ordinary people.

What kind of legacy do you want to leave behind when your term comes to an end? 

 I would like to leave the legacy of a Centre that effectively uses its rich knowledge in international human rights law and democracy to influence policymakers and change the lives of ordinary people. I unwind through travelling to new places around the continent, fishing and when I have the time, watch a good football game or a movie inspired by a true story.