South Africa became a democracy in 1994 with a clear promise: that every person, regardless of background, income, or status, would have equal rights and equal protection under the law.
Thirty years later, that promise remains one of the country’s greatest achievements. Yet for many South Africans, justice is still not easy to access.
Every day, people face challenges such as unlawful evictions, labour disputes, family conflicts, refugee matters, and violations of basic rights. While the law may be on their side, many do not have the resources or legal support needed to defend themselves. For them, the gap between rights on paper and justice in practice remains a daily reality.
It is against this backdrop that Cape Town will host the PILnet Global Forum from 10 to 12 November 2026. This marks the first time the PILnet Global Forum will be hosted on African soil.
Hosted by PILnet, and supported by ProBono.Org, Empire Partner Foundation (EPF), and other partners, the Forum will bring together lawyers, civil society organisations, academics, justice innovators, and legal professionals from around the world. The focus will be a shared question: how do we make justice more accessible to everyone?
The timing is significant. South Africa marks 30 years of democracy, while ProBono.Org celebrates 20 years of connecting vulnerable individuals with lawyers willing to provide legal assistance at no cost. At the same time, Empire Partner Foundation (EPF) marks 10 years of impact, driven by its work in technology, digital public infrastructure, and innovation aimed at improving access to services and strengthening public systems.
Over the years, ProBono.Org has helped thousands of people navigate legal challenges they would otherwise have faced alone. Its work continues to demonstrate that rights only have meaning when people are able to exercise them.
The Forum will provide a platform for global and African leaders working to strengthen access to justice. Discussions will focus on practical solutions, including legal innovation, technology, pro bono services, and cross-sector partnerships aimed at closing the justice gap. It will also elevate African perspectives and solutions within global justice and human rights discourse.
For the Empire Partner Foundation, the Forum aligns with its broader vision of using innovation, digital infrastructure, and collaboration to address systemic societal challenges. Through its work in technology-enabled public sector systems and access-to-justice platforms, EPF continues to support efforts that move beyond identifying challenges and focus on building scalable solutions.
Hosting the Forum in South Africa is significant beyond the legal profession. It offers an opportunity for reflection on how far the country has come since 1994, and what still needs to be done to ensure equal access to justice for all.
Because the true measure of a democracy is not only found in the rights written into its Constitution, but in whether ordinary people can access and enforce those rights when they need them most.
Thirty years into democracy, South Africa has much to celebrate. But the conversation about justice is far from over.
As the world gathers in Cape Town in 2026, the focus will not only be on law, but on people, communities, and the shared responsibility to ensure that justice is not a privilege for a few, but a reality for all.
Join us in Cape Town as we celebrate hosting PILNET for the first time on South African soil, 30 years of Democracy, Probono.Org’s 20 years of access to justice, and EPF’s 10 years of impact with innovation.
