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JOURNAL

History

South African Judicial Education Journal (SAJEJ) was established in 2017 because of the resolution of the South African Judicial Education Institute (SAJEI) Council presented by the debut Chief Executive Officer. The first issue of SAJEJ was published in 2018. Since its inception, SAJEI has worked closely with JUTA, the publisher.

SAJEI is the title owner of the journal and the copyright. The international standard serial number (ISSN) is 2616-7999. SAJEJ is published annually and is accessible online on the website of the Office of the Chief Justice (OCJ). The journal has been accredited by the Department of Higher Education and Training (DHET) effective 1st January 2024.

All contributions in the form of articles, notes, and reviews will be peer reviewed to keep in line with required standard of accreditation. SAJEJ is published annually and is an open access journal of law and judicial education published by the JUTA. The primary focus of the journal is law and justice with particular emphasis on the role of law in vindicating the core objectives of the Constitution. The journal welcomes articles and notes that will contribute to the development of a jurisprudence that promotes attainment of these objectives.

The journal is accredited by the National Department of Higher Education and Training (DHET) effective 1st January 2024. All contributions in the form of articles submitted for publication are subject to anonymous peer review by experts in the relevant fields to ensure quality and substantive contribution to the current discourse in law and justice.

The journal is published only in English.

All contributions are subjected to a reputable plagiarism checker, Turnitin and a plagiarism report is submitted to the Editorial Board for decision making, where a need arises.

The submissions should be in English and should include an abstract.

A) Vision

The vision of SAJEJ is to serve as a local and global platform for exchange of diverse views and research on the role the law in vindicating the core objectives of the Constitution.

B) Mission

The objective of SAJEJ is to make provision for high quality research and views on contemporary issues on the role of law in vindicating the core of the Constitution for the benefit of the judiciary, legal practitioners, academics, students, and others. It embraces a whole range of topics which piques the interest of the target audience.

1. Guidelines for Submission
1.1. General
The following information should be on a cover page:
a. Full name of the author
b. Occupation
c. Institutional affiliation
d. Full contact details
e. List of keywords

f. Signed statement that the submission is original and has not been submitted to any other publication.
g. Date of submission
The submission should be made through email addressed to in SAJEJournal@judiciary.org.za. order to facilitate online reviews.

The Editorial Board only accepts original research articles. SAJEJ discourages resubmission of articles unless where prior rejection is disclosed during initial submission. The contributions should be scholarly, entail an in-depth analysis of the relevant subject and must make a meaningful contribution to the body of knowledge. The submissions may therefore not be merely descriptive.

Authors should use language that is courteous to others, non-discriminatory and professional. The Editor reserves the right to make editorial changes where necessary to improve the quality of the article. Authors will be informed of such changes.

1.2. Types of Submission
SAJEJ accepts the following types of submissions:
a. Articles – An article is a critical analysis of topical legal issues. The word limit for the submission of articles is between 3000 and 5000 words.
b. Notes – A note is a shorter critical analysis of topical legal issues. The note should attract readers interest and engender further debate. The word limit for the contribution of notes is between 1400 and 1800 words.
c. Book reviews – A book review evaluates and analyses a published book. It entails an opinion by the reviewer, justified and supported with evidence from relevant sources. The word limit for the submission of a book review is between 500 and 1000 words.

1.3.  Format of the Submissions
The format of the submissions should be as follows:
a. MS Word
b. 1.5 spacing
c. Font, Arial
d. Justified alignment

A complete reference and style guide for the submission of contributions can be accessed at http://www.judiciary.org.za/ under the SAJEI link, under “Notes for Prospective Authors and Contributors”

2. The Peer-Review Process
All contributions will be subjected to plagiarism checks and a double-blind peer review process. This means that the contribution will be reviewed by two external peer reviewers. Contributions submitted to the peer reviewers will be anonymous. The review process will be conducted over a period of six weeks. The reviewers will provide written constructive feedback to the Editor-in-Chief. In the event that the peer reviewers make contradictory recommendations, a third peer reviewer may be appointed. The final decision to accept or reject a contribution lies with the Editor-in-Chief in consultation with the Editorial Board.
The author will be provided with feedback and requested to resubmit a revised manuscript within two weeks. An extension will be granted by the Editor-in-Chief, where necessary.
The Editorial Board commits to the anonymity of the peer reviewers.

3. Copyright 
The copyright in all the contributions published by the journal will vest in SAJEI.

4. Disclaimer
The views expressed in the contributions to the journal are those of the individual authors and do not reflect the views of South African Judicial Education Institute, SAJEJ Editorial Board and Office of the Chief Justice.

Editorial Board

Editor-in-Chief

Dennis M Davis, Judge of the High Court, Judge President of
the Competition Appeal Court, (retired)
and Professor at the
University of Cape Town

Managing Editor

Cagney Musi, Judge President of the Free State Division of
the High Court of South Africa

Production Editor

Gomolemo Moshoeu: Chief Executive Officer, SAJEI

Board Members

Tati Makgoka: Judge of the Supreme Court of Appeal of South
Africa

Mpopelele Bruce Langa: Judge of the High Court, Mpumalanga
Division

Mohammed Randera: Attorney of the High Court, Republic of
South Africa

Letlhokwa George Mpedi, Professor of Law and Vice Chancellor, University of Johannesburg

Managay Reddi, Professor of Law and Dean of the Faculty of Law, University of KwaZulu-Natal

Leonel González, Magistrate, Professor of Criminal Procedural Law at the Law School of the Alberto Hurtado University (Chile)

Advisory Panel

MB Molemela: President of the Supreme Court of Appeal of South Africa

CME O’Regan: Retired Justice of the Constitutional Court of South Africa

OL Rogers: Justice of the Constitutional Court of South Africa

E Cameron: Retired Justice of the Constitutional Court of South Africa

SM Mbenenge: Judge President, Eastern Cape Division of the High Court

A Govindjee: Judge of the High Court, Eastern Cape Division

C Albertyn: Professor of Law, University of the Witwatersrand

PE Andrews: Professor of Law, University of Cape Town

R Kruger: Professor of Law, Rhodes University

A Lansink: Senior Lecturer of Law, University of Venda

N Lubisi: Senior Lecturer, University of Fort Hare

CMA Nicholson: Professor and Registrar, University of the Free State

N Ntlama: Professor of Law, University of Fort Hare

OS Sibanda: Professor of Law, University of Limpopo

Dr N Lubisi: University of Fort Hare