Advanced legislative drafting 2025

This practical and career-enhancing course, presented by specialists in the field, provides people involved in the drafting of legislation with essential theoretical and practical knowledge and skills.

This course focuses more intensively on specific issues and problem-solving exercises. By completing the course, persons involved in legislative drafting enhance their knowledge and skills to draft legislation efficiently, accurately and in compliance with legal requirements.

"The programme is well-structured and intellectually challenging, providing students the opportunity to develop the skills required for legislative drafting." - Peer review

We are proud to announce the launch of the book Introduction to Legislative Drafting by our presenters Rassie Malherbe, Anton Meyer and Heinrich Muller - now available from Juta in hard copy and as an ebook.
Please note that this book will be used as the prescribed course material for UCT Law@work’s legislative drafting courses. Delegates are to purchase the book via this link before the course commences.

Join us for a four-month course, including two remote workshops, five assignments and a written examination, all of which are compulsory.

When and where?

This course runs from July to October 2025, with the two compulsory remote workshops being held on the following days:

• Workshop 1: 7 to 10 July and 14 to 16 July (21 hours over 7 days), 9:00-12:00 SAST
• Workshop 2: 13 to 15 October (12 hours over 4 days), 9:00-12:00 SAST

Assignments must be submitted in the intervening period. The final written examination will be taken in November 2025.

Who will benefit from this course?

The program is primarily aimed at persons in national, provincial and local government, as well as in parastatal bodies.

Please note that this course is capped at 25 registrants. 

Presenters

Prof Rassie Malherbe is a retired professor of constitutional law from the University of Johannesburg. He has been teaching legislative drafting for 20 years, for the last three years at the University of Cape Town. During his academic career Prof Malherbe focused his research on constitutional law, education law, and specific human rights such as academic freedom, freedom of religion and education rights. He co-authored several textbooks and published more than 100 articles on these topics. He was closely involved in the constitution-making process of the nineties, and still advises government institutions on legislative and other issues.

Adv Anton Meyer SC had a long career in legislative drafting spanning over 40 years. He was a state law adviser in the Department of Justice for many years, and was the deputy chief state law adviser until he became the chief law adviser to parliament when the interim constitution came into effect in 1994. He served in this position until his retirement in 2002. He has been the co-presenter with Prof Malherbe of an extra-curricular program in legislative drafting at the University of Johannesburg since its inception in 2002. 

Heinrich Muller is a qualified and experienced attorney of the High Court of South Africa and an environmental law specialist. Currently, he serves in the law reform unit at the national Department of Forestry, Fisheries and the Environment, in which capacity he has been the principal drafter of several key pieces of legislation. He has a vast amount of practical experience in the drafting of various forms of legislative instruments and managing their progress to final adoption, based on the ability to transform government policies into technically accurate and workable legislation. He is also a member of the Commonwealth Association of Legislative Counsel.

How much?

R16, 450 per delegate.

Please make sure that you have your own copy of the prescribed course textbook before the start of the course.

Certificate

A certificate of completion will be issued to those who pass the assessment.

Follow link to SIGN UP: Advanced legislative drafting | UCT Law at Work