Wits postgraduate LLB students earn a spot in an international law competition after winning the Regional Round in Africa.
Four Wits postgraduate law students are set to participate in the international round of the Price Media Law Moot Court competition after winning the African regional round which took place at the University of Johannesburg on Saturday, February 16.
The international round will take place in Oxford, England on April 8-12 and will bring together law students from across the globe. Anathi Canham, Nobuhle Kunene, Shandre Smith and Sophie Smit secured their places in Oxford after beating teams from several other African universities to walk away with the title of the champions of the African region.
“This was my first time mooting ever and I was very nervous at first. We went through multiple matches and I felt confident with each match,” Kunene told Wits Vuvuzela. “By the time we got to the final, I felt that there was nothing to lose … because we had already achieved so much, so I was very comfortable speaking with the judges and answering their questions,” Kunene, 25, added.
The team of four managed to get the highest marks for their written submission winning them first prize in that category, while Kunene, fourth-year LLB, won the title of best oralist in the regional round.
Postgraduate students from The Wits Moot Society assisted the team in their preparations for the competition.
“They were honestly an independent team and we stepped in before they handed in their written submissions to the judges and programme directors,” said Kgabo Senyatsi, the chairperson of the Wits Moot Court Society.
“We gave them rigorous training for two weeks where we were breaking their arguments down as a way of making the students stronger,” Senyatsi said.
The strenuous training regime paid off as the team were able to prove their worth among the best on the continent.
“We never really know what to anticipate. We can just over prepare and hope the team will bring some silverware in April,” said Senyatsi.
The annual competition was established by the University of Oxford in 2008 to encourage participants to engage critical contemporary issues in society.
The team will be working on fundraising in the coming months to finance the trip to Oxford.
FEATURED IMAGE: From left to right, Anathi Canham, Nobuhle Kunene, Shandré Smith and Sophie Smit. Photo: Provided.