Perhaps you have never paused to consider the story behind this building the Wilfred & Jules Kramer Law Building. It stands as a testament to legal education in South Africa. It is more than just a building. It is a place where future legal minds are shaped.
The Wilfred & Jules Kramer Law Building houses the University of Cape Town’s Faculty of Law. The faculty itself is the oldest law school in South Africa. Its roots trace back to 1859. At that time, it was a division of the South African College.
Wilfred and Jules Kramer were brothers. Wilfred was a Cape Town businessman. Jules was a pianist and singer. Together, they left a significant bequest. It totaled R700000. The bequest was specifically for creating a law school building and developing the law library. Their generosity shaped what we see today.
Thanks to the Kramer brothers, the Wilfred & Jules Kramer Law Building became a reality. Construction finished in 1987. It provided a dedicated space for legal studies at UCT. The building is located on Middle Campus in Rondebosch. It is a central point for law students and faculty.
The Wilfred & Jules Kramer Law Building also houses the Brand van Zyl Law Library. Since 2000, the library occupies the bottom two floors. The library became a separate branch of the UCT Libraries in 1962. Gideon Brand van Zyl is the library’s namesake. He was a former Governor-General of South Africa. His father was Casper Hendrik van Zyl. Casper was a 19th-century law professor. Gideon donated his family’s extensive collection of Roman-Dutch law literature in 1949. This donation significantly enriched the library’s resources.
The University of Cape Town Faculty of Law has a rich history. In 1919, UCT conferred its first LLB degree. The faculty has grown since then. It now enrolls around 1200 students. These students pursue undergraduate and postgraduate programs.
The faculty consists of three academic departments. These are public law, commercial law and private law. It also houses several research units. The School for Advanced Legal Studies and the journal Acta Juridica are also here. Prominent alumni have emerged from this faculty. They include judges and legal experts.
The Wilfred & Jules Kramer Law Building stands for transformation. After apartheid, the faculty worked towards equal access. They implemented affirmative action programs. The building is a place of learning. It represents progress and inclusivity.
So next time you see the Wilfred & Jules Kramer Law Building remember its story. It is a story of vision. It is a story of generosity. It is a story of dedication to legal education in South Africa.