African Institute for Mediation

Prof Alan Rycroft - BA (Rhodes) LLB (UND) LLM (London)
Chairperson of AIM’s Board of Directors

Prof Alan Rycroft currently lectures LLB and postgraduate courses at the University of KwaZulu-Natal, Durban. Author of numerous publications and articles, Prof Rycroft has a particular interest in Labour Dispute Resolution. He has written a book on mediation in South Africa (published by LexisNexis Butterworths). He is a non-executive Director of AIM and Chairperson of the Board.

“Despite the provision in most post 1994 legislation for conciliation we are concerned that a mediation culture has not taken root in SA. AIM has been formed to contribute to the establishment of conciliation as a primary dispute resolution mechanism.”

Leah Khumalo - BJuris LLB (UKZN)
Non-executive Director of AIM and Secretary to AIM’s Board of Directors

Leah Khumalo is a practicing attorney specialising in labour law. She has a particular interest in dispute resolution and believes mediation has an important role to play in the future resolution of disputes in South Africa.

“Mediation is a progressive and cost-effective means of resolving disputes.”

Gina Barbieri - BComm LLB (UKZN)
Executive Director of AIM and Treasurer to AIM’s Board of Directors

Gina Barbieri is a practising attorney who began her career at Chennells Albertyn in Cape Town and has run her own practice specializing in employment law for the past 8 years. She is a part-time CCMA Commissioner. Passionate about conflict engagement and resolution, Gina is a founding member and current Executive Director of AIM. She is also an accredited trainer and assessor, presenting numerous courses to provincial government in the area of employment law. She has recently worked with the CCMA in developing a workshop on Conflict Management in the Workplace to be piloted by the CCMA early next year.

“Imagine a world where people talked rather than struck, where leaders led their people to social dialogue rather than war. Imagine if every individual understood and used their abilities to engage with conflict constructively. Embracing mediation can only help to make this a reality.”

Adv Andrea Gabriel - BA LLB LLM (Georgetown) MPhil (India, NLSIU)
Non-executive Director of AIM and member of AIM’s Board

Andrea Gabriel is a law graduate of the University of KwaZulu-Natal, the United States and India. She is an Advocate at the Durban Bar. Her focus is and has been largely on public interest and constitutional matters. After 8 years at the Bar, Andrea has come to realise that the application of law, like any other discipline, is ultimately about problem solving. However, that application ought not necessarily to result in litigation.

“Sometimes litigation is inevitable and the Solomonic option is the only option. Mediation remains a critical medium for problem solving, at all sectors of society.”

Charles Nupen - BA LLB (Natal)
Non-executive Director of AIM and member of AIM’s Board

Charles Nupen is a lawyer, and former executive director of IMSSA and the CCMA. He currently runs a consultancy, STRATALIGN, and is contracted as chief technical adviser to a technical co operation project of the International Labour Organization directed towards enterprise performance improvement in South Africa. He is a director of TOKISO.

"In my experience mediation is the most empowering and creative path to dispute settlement."

Bruce Robertson - B Comm LLB LLM
Non-executive Director and alternate member of AIM’s Board

Bruce is an attorney with extensive experience in labour relations and the dispute resolution fields. He was a part-time Senior Commissioner with the CCMA for many years and he is on the arbitration panels of a number of bargaining councils. In recent years, Bruce was contracted by the International Labour Office (ILO) to assist in implementing labour mediation and arbitration in a number of Southern African countries.

“Mediation is essential to managing conflict effectively, particularly in communities made up of diverse cultures and perspectives. It seeks to respect and understand “difference” as opposed to judging it.”

Dr Linda Price - B.A. (Wits) B.A. Hons (KZN) M.Soc.Sci (KZN) Phd. (UCT)
Member of AIM’s Advisory Committee

Linda Price is an organisational psychologist registered with the Health Professions Council of South Africa and the Psychological Society of South Africa. Linda has held academic positions at UKZN (1993-1994) and UCT (1995-2005). Her areas of academic interest include narrative psychology, quality and meaning of work life and process facilitation. Linda currently runs an independent practice and provides individual counselling and group facilitation to clarify personal and organisational direction, and to build effective working relationships. She is a trained conflict mediator and designs and runs mediation processes, and provides training in conflict management skills.

“Mediation presents the opportunity for people to creatively resolve conflict by remaining both rooted and open to change.”

Prof Karthy Govender - LLB (London), LLB (Natal) LLM (Michigan)
Member of AIM’s Advisory Committee

Karthy Govender is a 3rd generation South African, whose father’s grandmother came to South Africa from India as an indentured labourer to work on the sugar plantations in Durban. He is a barrister of the Middle Temple (England) and an advocate of the High Court of South Africa. He has litigated in constitutional and administrative law matters. He is currently a professor of law at UKZN. Karthy was appointed to the South African Human Rights Commission by President Mandela in 1995 and re-appointed for a second term in 2002 by President Mbeki. He has published in the fields of Constitutional and Administrative and recently completed a book which was published by the South African Human Rights Commission and the Department of Education (KZN) called “The Educator and the Constitution”.

“Mediation is about crafting a process that allows disputing parties to voluntarily journey towards a settlement of dispute.”