The public look into the trial of Timothy Omotoso and especially the cross examination of Cheryl Zondi has drawn strong reaction. I wrote about her cross examination last week from a Restorative Justice Perspective. http://sheenastclairjonker.com/towards-a-brave-new-world-restorative-justice/

In 2014 and 2015 I did restorative justice advocacy for two taxi associations in Cape Town.

As mediators we need to grapple and tussle with what it means to be human. This means wrestling with fear, courage or lack of courage and...

Introduction I’m going to be spending a little time talking about the space within which we mediate and the stance, or the inner posture...

The World Health Organization has now declared the coronavirus outbreak a pandemic in that as of today the virus had spread to at least...

As expected, we are starting to experience an influx of lockdown-related disputes. Here are some of the areas in which we are starting to...

Dear friends I greet you all in peace and hope that your Easter Weekend or whatever it is that you observe or don’t observe, has been a...

The Application of Alternative Dispute Resolution and Restorative Justice in Delict or Personal Injury Matters Say you are studying...

This week I watched most of the cross-examination of Cheryl Zondi in the trial of Tim Omotoso. I wasn’t shocked. I wasn’t shocked at all....

‘Instead of seeing the many parts that make up a collective whole, the polities of faith and legal justice practice often tend to...

How do we optimize restorative justice to aid land reform in South Africa Right now? Can we use King's 6 principles of non-violence as an...

How do we say “I’m with them” and “I’m with us” in a real way that helps to bring about change. A way that helps us to be a part of ending the violence. And specifically, how do we stand with the LGBTQI+ community with our lives, our skills and our experience? Let’s take a look at Restorative Justice in hate crimes.

Restorative justice and peacemaking are not mere ideals, they are practices that take place in a real world in difficult, messy terrain. (Ambassadors for Reconciliation, Myers and Enns, 2009) This terrain may be shaped by historic and current inequality and violence in which some hold and exercise power more than others. In the first article I looked at gendered notions and how they affect or alter or give rise to social power, or the lack thereof.

We need to encounter the pain and confusion head on so that we can heal. So, do we tell it like it is? Or do we tell it like we are? We are all made up of a complex mix of our biology, our experience, what we’ve been taught, what made sense to us at the time, those who have influenced us, our suffering, our triumphs and I could go on.

I am writing this series primarily as a resource for mediators, restorative justice and ADR practitioners and lawyers who are committed to learning more about social power and how it is distributed. In this article, I will focus primarily on Gender and specifically on unpacking related concepts.

I conduct restorative and non-adversarial processes in rape cases and sexual violence matters. Without sufficient information on this you may be offended. So here is why I do this (and also teach others to conduct Restorative Processes): Some statistics I have seen tend to show that of the matters reported that actually proceed to prosecution, around 1 in 100 accused persons in sexual violence and rape matters are convicted. From discussions I have with investigating officers

In what ways have we hidden the God revealed in Christ? I believe that one of the ways we fail to get God’s character as revealed in Jesus is in our notions of justice. In God’s order, justice does not come through punishment and violence, but through restoration. (Richard Rohr, Dancing Standing Still) Rohr says that most of Jesus’ teaching on non-violence, simplicity, downward mobility, forgiveness of enemies and inclusivity has had no great effect on Christian History.

It’s not easy to make sense of the current protests, especially not if there are attempts to distil our understanding into dualistic explanations of it’s either or. It’s this way or that way. As I have said before the protests contain aspects that seemingly don’t make sense and veer into contradiction or paradox. The big one for society seems to be ‘why destroy what it is you say you are fighting for’?

#AndreOlivier: A world where white people took nothing from black people is not a real world, it’s an imagined one. A South Africa where white people took nothing from black people is not a real South Africa, it’s an imagined one. A South Africa where white people gained the position in society that they occupy and the place in the economy that they enjoy through sheer hard work, is an imagined South Africa. It’s not real.

I was listening to a talk by Rob Bell and came across this great word: T’shuvah. What I understand from this is that it is an ancient word that encapsulates a whole lot of what we believe as Restorativists and Restorative Justice Practitioners. T’shuvah It’s the beginning and we are all created with the indelible mark of the creator or the divine. All bear this imprint. All of us. At a fundamental level we are good. We are created good. But all of us have capacity for harm. G