Duration: 5 days (Monday – Friday)
Registration deadline 8 October 2026
Understanding Principles and Process of Mediation
Explore the foundational concepts of mediation, including its core values, stages, and procedural flow. This module offers a step-by-step understanding of how mediation works, setting the groundwork for effective practice.
Role, Function and Ethical Duties of the Mediator
Gain insight into the responsibilities and boundaries of the mediator’s role. This session highlights the importance of neutrality, confidentiality, and ethical decision-making in facilitating fair and respectful resolution processes.
Developing the Communication Skills of the Mediator
Enhance your ability to communicate with clarity, empathy, and control. Learn practical techniques for active listening, reframing, managing difficult conversations, and building rapport with parties in conflict.
Working Through Diversity, Assumptions, Prejudices and Biases in Mediation
Examine how identity, culture, and unconscious bias influence conflict dynamics. This module equips mediators to recognise and navigate these factors with sensitivity, promoting inclusion and fairness in mediation settings.
Building the Mediator’s Toolkit for Practice
Acquire practical tools and strategies for real-world mediation. From managing impasses and drafting agreements to selecting appropriate interventions, this session focuses on the skills and resources mediators need to confidently lead dispute resolution processes.
CONDITIONS
Adv Veerash Srikison is a highly respected legal practitioner, mediator, and trainer with over two decades of experience in the legal field. Admitted as an advocate in 2003, she is a Harvard-trained mediator and negotiator, recognised globally for her expertise in alternative dispute resolution (ADR).
Veerash has presided as a judge in prestigious international Civil and Commercial Mediation and Negotiation competitions, contributing to the development of ADR best practices globally. She holds a Master of Laws (LLM) degree from the University of Pretoria, graduating with distinction for her research on Child Participation in Mediation. She is pursuing her doctoral studies at the University of Johannesburg, continuing her specialised research in this field.
Since 2010, Veerash has been at the forefront of ADR practice and training in South Africa. She has successfully trained over 500 professionals in mediation and negotiation skills across various sectors. Her reputation as a thought leader in ADR is further reflected in her role as a sought-after speaker at conferences, university lectures, webinars, and media engagements, where she actively promotes mediation as an effective dispute resolution forum.
Through her extensive experience, academic contributions, and practical expertise, Veerash has established herself as one of South Africa’s leading ADR experts. As a presenter in the AFSA ADR Programme, she brings a dynamic and practical perspective to mediation and negotiation, equipping participants with essential skills and insights into modern dispute resolution.
Andile Nikani is the CEO of the Arbitration Foundation of Southern Africa (AFSA), appointed in January 2025. With over 20 years of legal experience, he specializes in corporate strategy, mergers and acquisitions regulation, and risk management. Nikani previously led the South African Takeover Regulation Panel and served as a visiting regulator in the UK and Hong Kong. Academically, he holds an MPhil, LLM, LLB, and BA, and is pursuing a doctorate. Under his leadership, AFSA aims to expand its arbitration and mediation services regionally and internationally, enhancing dispute resolution across Southern Africa.