Profile of the former Public Protector, Adv S A M Baqwa SC
1995 - 2002

He was admitted as an attorney of the Supreme Court of South Africa in 1976 and later established his own firm in Durban. Twelve years later he was admitted as an Advocate of the Supreme Court and practised at the Durban Bar. He took silk in 1997 (Senior Counsel).

Advocate Baqwa has held many other positions. Amongst others, he was General Secretary of the National Executive Committee of the National Association of Democratic Lawyers during 1993, and later became President of the Association.

He is a member of the Board of Trustees of a number of organizations such as the Economic Crime Combating and Research Institute of South Africa, the Institute for Security Studies and the African Ombudsman Centre at Dares- Salaam University, Tanzania.

He has delivered papers nationally and internationally. In August 2000, he was awarded the First Grade Control Yuan Medal by the Control Yuan (Ombudsman) of Taiwan.

Vice-president of the International Ombudsman Institute (IOI) since November 2000, he was re-elected to this position at the annual board meeting of the Directors of the IOI which was held in Seoul, South Korea, from 27 October to 1 November 2001.

He has also played an active role in the academic field. A former lecturer at the University of Natal, Advocate Baqwa was later awarded an Honorary Professorship of Law and received the Dr Edgar Brookes Award for Human Freedom and Endeavour from the University in 1999. He was also awarded a scholarship for a Masters Programme in Trial Advocacy in Georgetown University, USA in 1986 and is currently Chancellor of the North West Technikon.