Conflict Dynamics

The Conflict Dynamics Empowerment Trust is proud to have collaborated with Auckland Park Academy of Excellence (APAX) and Cliff Dekker Hofmeyr to train 43 high school pupils as peer mediators. The two-day experiential program was conducted by four experienced Conflict Dynamics mediators and trainers, namely Mahamed Rajah, Hannah Kirkaldy, Angela Whitford du Plessis and Zeenat Rajah Hoosen.

The videos created and used in the training were made possible with thanks to a grant from the Temple Foundation.

Headmaster M***i Ali Akhtar said of the course: "𝘈𝘵 𝘈𝘗𝘈𝘟, 𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘷𝘪𝘴𝘪𝘰𝘯 𝘩𝘢𝘴 𝘢𝘭𝘸𝘢𝘺𝘴 𝘣𝘦𝘦𝘯 𝘵𝘰 𝘥𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘭𝘰𝘱 𝘭𝘦𝘢𝘳𝘯𝘦𝘳𝘴 𝘸𝘩𝘰 𝘸𝘪𝘭𝘭 𝘣𝘦𝘤𝘰𝘮𝘦 𝘮𝘦𝘢𝘯𝘪𝘯𝘨𝘧𝘶𝘭 𝘤𝘰𝘯𝘵𝘳𝘪𝘣𝘶𝘵𝘰𝘳𝘴 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘣𝘦𝘯𝘦𝘧𝘢𝘤𝘵𝘰𝘳𝘴 𝘵𝘰 𝘴𝘰𝘤𝘪𝘦𝘵𝘺. 𝘈𝘴 𝘴𝘶𝘤𝘩, 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘪𝘯𝘪𝘵𝘪𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘷𝘦 𝘳𝘦𝘱𝘳𝘦𝘴𝘦𝘯𝘵𝘦𝘥 𝘧𝘢𝘳 𝘮𝘰𝘳𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘯 𝘢 𝘵𝘸𝘰-𝘥𝘢𝘺 𝘱𝘳𝘰𝘨𝘳𝘢𝘮𝘮𝘦. 𝘛𝘩𝘳𝘰𝘶𝘨𝘩 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘤𝘰𝘭𝘭𝘢𝘣𝘰𝘳𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯, 𝘸𝘦 𝘴𝘰𝘶𝘨𝘩𝘵 𝘵𝘰 𝘦𝘮𝘱𝘰𝘸𝘦𝘳 𝘯𝘰𝘵 𝘰𝘯𝘭𝘺 𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘭𝘦𝘢𝘳𝘯𝘦𝘳𝘴 𝘣𝘶𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘣𝘳𝘰𝘢𝘥𝘦𝘳 𝘈𝘗𝘈𝘟 𝘤𝘰𝘮𝘮𝘶𝘯𝘪𝘵𝘺, 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘊𝘋𝘌𝘛 𝘥𝘦𝘭𝘪𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘦𝘥 𝘦𝘹𝘤𝘦𝘱𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘺 𝘪𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘳𝘦𝘨𝘢𝘳𝘥. 𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘱𝘦𝘦𝘳 𝘮𝘦𝘥𝘪𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯 𝘵𝘳𝘢𝘪𝘯𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘦𝘲𝘶𝘪𝘱𝘱𝘦𝘥 𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘭𝘦𝘢𝘳𝘯𝘦𝘳𝘴 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘴𝘬𝘪𝘭𝘭𝘴 𝘵𝘰 𝘳𝘦𝘴𝘰𝘭𝘷𝘦 𝘤𝘰𝘯𝘧𝘭𝘪𝘤𝘵 𝘱𝘦𝘢𝘤𝘦𝘧𝘶𝘭𝘭𝘺, 𝘤𝘰𝘮𝘮𝘶𝘯𝘪𝘤𝘢𝘵𝘦 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘦𝘮𝘱𝘢𝘵𝘩𝘺, 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘭𝘦𝘢𝘥 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘪𝘯𝘵𝘦𝘨𝘳𝘪𝘵𝘺 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘤𝘰𝘮𝘱𝘢𝘴𝘴𝘪𝘰𝘯. 𝘉𝘦𝘺𝘰𝘯𝘥 𝘮𝘦𝘥𝘪𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯 𝘪𝘵𝘴𝘦𝘭𝘧, 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘱𝘳𝘰𝘨𝘳𝘢𝘮𝘮𝘦 𝘤𝘶𝘭𝘵𝘪𝘷𝘢𝘵𝘦𝘥 𝘤𝘰𝘯𝘧𝘪𝘥𝘦𝘯𝘤𝘦, 𝘦𝘧𝘧𝘦𝘤𝘵𝘪𝘷𝘦 𝘤𝘰𝘮𝘮𝘶𝘯𝘪𝘤𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯, 𝘦𝘮𝘰𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯𝘢𝘭 𝘪𝘯𝘵𝘦𝘭𝘭𝘪𝘨𝘦𝘯𝘤𝘦, 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘳𝘦𝘴𝘱𝘰𝘯𝘴𝘪𝘣𝘭𝘦 𝘭𝘦𝘢𝘥𝘦𝘳𝘴𝘩𝘪𝘱, 𝘦𝘮𝘱𝘰𝘸𝘦𝘳𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘭𝘦𝘢𝘳𝘯𝘦𝘳𝘴 𝘵𝘰 𝘣𝘦𝘤𝘰𝘮𝘦 𝘢𝘮𝘣𝘢𝘴𝘴𝘢𝘥𝘰𝘳𝘴 𝘰𝘧 𝘱𝘰𝘴𝘪𝘵𝘪𝘷𝘦 𝘤𝘩𝘢𝘯𝘨𝘦 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘱𝘦𝘢𝘤𝘦𝘮𝘢𝘬𝘦𝘳𝘴 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘯 𝘣𝘰𝘵𝘩 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘴𝘤𝘩𝘰𝘰𝘭 𝘦𝘯𝘷𝘪𝘳𝘰𝘯𝘮𝘦𝘯𝘵 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘸𝘪𝘥𝘦𝘳 𝘤𝘰𝘮𝘮𝘶𝘯𝘪𝘵𝘺. 𝘞𝘦 𝘢𝘳𝘦 𝘵𝘳𝘦𝘮𝘦𝘯𝘥𝘰𝘶𝘴𝘭𝘺 𝘨𝘳𝘢𝘵𝘦𝘧𝘶𝘭 𝘵𝘰 𝘊𝘋𝘌𝘛 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘪𝘯𝘷𝘦𝘴𝘵𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘪𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘧𝘶𝘵𝘶𝘳𝘦 𝘰𝘧 𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘭𝘦𝘢𝘳𝘯𝘦𝘳𝘴 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘤𝘰𝘯𝘵𝘳𝘪𝘣𝘶𝘵𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘮𝘦𝘢𝘯𝘪𝘯𝘨𝘧𝘶𝘭𝘭𝘺 𝘵𝘰 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘤𝘶𝘭𝘵𝘶𝘳𝘦 𝘰𝘧 𝘦𝘹𝘤𝘦𝘭𝘭𝘦𝘯𝘤𝘦 𝘸𝘦 𝘴𝘵𝘳𝘪𝘷𝘦 𝘵𝘰 𝘶𝘱𝘩𝘰𝘭𝘥 𝘢𝘵 𝘈𝘗𝘈𝘟.”

Read more about CDET here: https://www.conflictdynamics.co.za/Pages/Peacemakers

𝗜𝗻 𝗰𝗮𝘀𝗲 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝗺𝗶𝘀𝘀𝗲𝗱 𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗹𝗮𝘀𝘁 𝗖𝗼𝗳𝗳𝗲𝗲 𝘄𝗶𝘁𝗵 𝗖𝗼𝗻𝗳𝗹𝗶𝗰𝘁 𝗗𝘆𝗻𝗮𝗺𝗶𝗰𝘀:

Recent Constitutional and Labour Court decisions are sending a clear message to employers — are you getting it right?

Catch the webinar https://www.conflictdynamics.co.za/Videos/Watch/78/Turning-Case-Law-Into-Practical-Action, where Ebrahim Patelia unpacks key judgments on constructive dismissal and ill health in the workplace, with practical guidance for HR, ER specialists, and line managers.

You can also read a summary article https://www.conflictdynamics.co.za/Blog/Turning-case-law-into-practical-action-What-employers-must-get-rightfor key takeaways, including practical do’s and don’ts, risk-avoidance strategies, and tips for handling complex employee situations with confidence.

Case managers are the engines behind successfully administered mediations. They coordinate logistics, reduce delays, and help parties stay focused on solutions instead of conflict by managing information flow, and ensuring that disputes move toward resolution in an organised and fair manner. Case managers ensure procedures comply with rules, timelines, and ethical standards, strengthening credibility and trust in the process.

By supporting collaborative dialogue and reducing adversarial tension, case managers help preserve professional relationships. This increases the likelihood of meaningful engagement, restorative justice and stronger outcomes and settlement potential. Their structured guidance and coordination help parties and the mediator focus on solutions, more sustainable agreements and improved participant satisfaction.

Overall, case managers increase the effectiveness, professionalism, and accessibility of mediation by ensuring that disputes are managed proactively, parties remain informed and supported, and mediators can focus on facilitating resolution.

Thanks to our case managers, Zeenat Rajah Hoosen, Mia Skrbinsek, Tayeba Ebrahim, Elizabeth Raphadu and Gumani Mathivha for fulfilling this important part of mediation. Read more about our case managers here https://www.conflictdynamics.co.za/Pages/OurPeople

Conflict Dynamics was founded on 27 April 1996 by John Brand and Felicity Steadman, following their appointment to train the first cohort of CCMA Commissioners in South Africa.

Over the past 30 years, the organisation has grown into a leading practice in labour dispute resolution, mediation, and conflict management training — contributing to the development of constructive dialogue and dispute resolution across workplaces and institutions.

Read more about our journey in 𝟥𝟢 𝘠𝘦𝘢𝘳𝘴 𝘰𝘧 𝘊𝘰𝘯𝘧𝘭𝘪𝘤𝘵 𝘋𝘺𝘯𝘢𝘮𝘪𝘤𝘴 here: https://www.conflictdynamics.co.za/Blog/30-Years-of-Conflict-Dynamics

Stress is no longer occasional - it’s a constant!

Whether you’re an HR professional, manager, team leader, or anyone working with people, this workshop will transform how you show up at work.

The 2025 Profmed Stress Index shows SA professionals are facing 𝗽𝗲𝗿𝘀𝗶𝘀𝘁𝗲𝗻𝘁, 𝗺𝘂𝗹𝘁𝗶-𝗹𝗮𝘆𝗲𝗿𝗲𝗱 𝗽𝗿𝗲𝘀𝘀𝘂𝗿𝗲, with many feeling overwhelmed despite attempts at employing coping strategies.

Conflict Dynamics offers a 𝗵𝗶𝗴𝗵𝗹𝘆 𝗶𝗻𝘁𝗲𝗿𝗮𝗰𝘁𝗶𝘃𝗲, 𝗽𝗿𝗮𝗰𝘁𝗶𝗰𝗮𝗹, and 𝘀𝗸𝗶𝗹𝗹𝘀-𝗳𝗼𝗰𝘂𝘀𝗲𝗱 𝗘𝗺𝗼𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝗮𝗹 𝗜𝗻𝘁𝗲𝗹𝗹𝗶𝗴𝗲𝗻𝗰𝗲 (𝗘𝗤) 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗪𝗼𝗿𝗸𝗽𝗹𝗮𝗰𝗲 𝘄𝗼𝗿𝗸𝘀𝗵𝗼𝗽. Offering this training to your staff will provide them with practical, real-world tools which they can apply immediately to:

• Improve self-awareness and emotional control under pressure
• Navigate difficult conversations with confidence
• Manage conflict constructively
• Build stronger, more resilient teams and workplace relationships
• Enhance leadership impact and decision-making

This is not theory-heavy training. It is carefully designed to help you 𝘂𝗻𝗱𝗲𝗿𝘀𝘁𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗱𝗼, not just learn.

Read more about what we offer here https://www.conflictdynamics.co.za/Training/ConflictManagement

𝗣𝗮𝗻𝗲𝗹𝗹𝗶𝘀𝘁 - 𝗘𝗹𝗼𝗶𝘇𝗲 𝗘𝗸𝘀𝘁𝗲𝗲𝗻

Eloize is a practising advocate and member of the Johannesburg Society of Advocates. Her distinguished career is recognised with the conferment of Senior Counsel status in 2025. She has served as an Acting Judge in the High Court (2024) and brings extensive experience as an arbitrator, mediator, and panellist in disciplinary enquiries before the Legal Practice Council.

Accredited as a commercial mediator by Conflict Dynamics in 2017, Eloize specialises in commercial, medico-legal, and community disputes. She has contributed to a medico-legal mediation pilot project with the South African Medico-Legal Association and brings particular sensitivity to complex medical negligence matters. Her training as a sexual harassment officer further strengthens her ability to navigate nuanced and sensitive disputes with professionalism and care.

Read more about Eloize here: https://www.conflictdynamics.co.za/Mediators/Mediator/723

𝗜𝗧’𝗦 𝗧𝗜𝗠𝗘 𝗙𝗢𝗥 “𝗖𝗢𝗙𝗙𝗘𝗘 𝗪𝗜𝗧𝗛 𝗖𝗢𝗡𝗙𝗟𝗜𝗖𝗧 𝗗𝗬𝗡𝗔𝗠𝗜𝗖𝗦” 𝗔𝗚𝗔𝗜𝗡

AND YOU’RE INVITED!

Recent Constitutional and Labour Court decisions are sending a clear message to employers — but are you getting it right in your workplace?

Join us for a focused, practical webinar where we unpack real judgments to explore:

Constructive Dismissal: Definitive findings of the courts on what constitutes constructive dismissal, and how an employer might cross the line (or not).

Ill Health in the Workplace: How to respond lawfully, fairly, and effectively (and avoid constructive dismissal!)

Our discussions will be expertly led and guided by eminent Labour & ADR Practitioner, Ebrahim Patelia.

This session is designed for HR Practitioners, ER Specialists, and Line Managers who deal with these types of issues every day — and need clarity, not theory.

You will leave our Coffee session with:
✔️ Practical do’s and don’ts
✔️ Risk-avoidance strategies
✔️ Confidence in handling complex employee situations

Don’t miss this opportunity to sharpen your approach and stay on the right side of the law.

DATE: Wednesday 6 May 2026
TIME: 11h00 to 12h00
VENUE: Online via Zoom
PRICE: FREE
BOOK: https://us02web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_Iq1CuFFZSbKQx8lAqQdS8w