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Creating more opportunities for young dispute resolution practitioners to connect, contribute, and develop
The Arbitration Foundation of Southern Africa (AFSA) has announced the election of three new Co-Chairs of Young AFSA, its youth-focused division that was launched in 2023 to help develop the next generation of dispute resolution professionals.
Contributing to greater appreciation of arbitration and mediation as effective alternatives to traditional litigation, especially at contracting stages, as well as creating spaces where younger practitioners have the opportunity to engage with trainers, mentors, and industry experts, are among the goals for newly elected Young AFSA Co-Chair Cecilia Thabiso Marule over the next two years.
Yesterday, the Arbitration Foundation of Southern Africa (AFSA) publicly announced that Marule, fellow Johannesburg advocate Mandla Shabangu, and Dr Kathleen Mpofu, a partner at Webb Lowe & Barry in Zimbabwe, have been elected as the new Young AFSA’s new Co-Chairs for the next two years.
Young AFSA was launched in November 2023 as a student and young professional (18-40) wing of AFSA, aiming to build a robust network to form strong collaborative relationships, share knowledge, organise skills-focused programmes, and to foster inclusivity and diversity by elevating the profile of young diverse professionals across southern Africa and global arbitration.
“As a young Black woman in the profession, representation is particularly important to me,” says Marule, speaking to Africa Legal this week.
She’s excited to serve with her Co-Chairs and incoming committee, in a new season for Young AFSA. Completing the AFSA training programme in mediation and international commercial arbitration strengthened her confidence and skills. Marule hopes her participation as Young AFSA Co-Chair “will give others permission to see themselves in this area of law, international and domestic”.
Marule, Mpofu, and Shabangu are taking the baton as Co-Chairs from Young AFSA’s inaugural Co-Chairs: Bowmans’ partner Wihan Meintjes, Herbert Smith Freehills Kramer director Fiorella Noriega-Del Valle, and White & Case associate Panagiotis Chalkias.
When making yesterday’s announcement, AFSA thanked the outgoing Co-Chairs for the foundation they have built. “To everyone who voted or put themselves forward, thank you for helping shape Young AFSA’s future.”
Speaking to Africa Legal after being elected as a new Co-Chair, advocate Mandla Shabangu vowed to advance Young AFSA into all sixteen member states of the SADC region during his tenure, and to advance the organisation’s reach and capacity to empower arbitrators in southern Africa and beyond Africa’s borders.
Marule, Mpofu, and Shabangu were elected from a shortlist of nine candidates for the three positions of Young AFSA Co-Chair for the 2026-2028 term.
Ahead of the election, Mpofu said that as a practitioner and academic from Zimbabwe, she hoped to bring a perspective from an emerging arbitration jurisdiction and help strengthen Young AFSA's reach, representation, and engagement across Southern Africa and the wider continent. “I am particularly passionate about creating opportunities for young practitioners who may not have easy access to established international arbitration networks.”
For more information on Young AFSA, visit here.