Four Rhodes University final-year law students have won entry into a prestigious international trade law debating competition in Switzerland after beating 10 teams in the African regional finals.
In addition to the team winning the European Law Student Association’s Moot Court Competition qualifier, law student Nkosazana Dweba, 23, was awarded a fully paid one-year scholarship to the University of Barcelona in Spain to study further.
Dweba, who is from East London and has never been overseas, said yesterday she was counting the days until the team jetted to Geneva in June for the international finals.
“I was surprised when I made the team, never mind that I got best orator for the prelim and the grand final,” she said.
“It was a good learning experience as there is very high quality in the competition.”
Dweba said she was planning to study in Spain next year before returning to South Africa to do her articles of clerkship.
Three of the four Rhodes students in the winning team have Eastern Cape roots, with Steph Stretch also coming from East London and Declan Williamson from Port Alfred, while Moya Vaughan-Williamson is from Mtubatuba in KwaZulu-Natal.
Rhodes law lecturer Vicky Heideman, who is an organiser of the African regional round, said the university law faculty was “very grateful” for support from the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa in getting all 10 teams to Grahamstown for the finals last Friday.
Heideman said the competition provided an opportunity for African law student to “grow in the area of trade law so as to better protect African trade interests in the global economy”.
“Africa has been notably under-represented from dispute settlement at the World Trade Organisation and that’s largely because we don’t have the capacity. This competition builds an awareness of the importance of this area of law.”
Although Rhodes won, two other teams from the continent, South Africa’s Wits University and the Kenya School of Law, also cracked the nod to attend the June finals in Geneva.
Vaughan-Williams, who is the team captain, described the regional competition as an amazing experience – especially the “tough” final against Wits.
“We’re representing all of Africa in Geneva so I think we’ve got quite a big task to put Africa on the map,” she said.
Rhodes law students have competed and come 14th in the Geneva finals over the past two years that Africa has been included in the competition.
Heideman said making the finals again showed the university had a consistently high standard when it came to mooting.
“Moots form a core part of the LLB curriculum at Rhodes; they teach students research and writing skills, as well as public speaking, court etiquette and time management,” she said. — davidm@dispatch.co.za
Rhodes four make final of top contest
In addition to the team winning the European Law Student Association’s Moot Court Competition qualifier, law student Nkosazana Dweba, 23, was awarded a fully paid one-year scholarship to the University of Barcelona in Spain to study further.
Dweba, who is from East London and has never been overseas, said yesterday she was counting the days until the team jetted to Geneva in June for the international finals.
“I was surprised when I made the team, never mind that I got best orator for the prelim and the grand final,” she said.
“It was a good learning experience as there is very high quality in the competition.”
Dweba said she was planning to study in Spain next year before returning to South Africa to do her articles of clerkship.
Three of the four Rhodes students in the winning team have Eastern Cape roots, with Steph Stretch also coming from East London and Declan Williamson from Port Alfred, while Moya Vaughan-Williamson is from Mtubatuba in KwaZulu-Natal.
Rhodes law lecturer Vicky Heideman, who is an organiser of the African regional round, said the university law faculty was “very grateful” for support from the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa in getting all 10 teams to Grahamstown for the finals last Friday.
Heideman said the competition provided an opportunity for African law student to “grow in the area of trade law so as to better protect African trade interests in the global economy”.
“Africa has been notably under-represented from dispute settlement at the World Trade Organisation and that’s largely because we don’t have the capacity. This competition builds an awareness of the importance of this area of law.”
Although Rhodes won, two other teams from the continent, South Africa’s Wits University and the Kenya School of Law, also cracked the nod to attend the June finals in Geneva.
Vaughan-Williams, who is the team captain, described the regional competition as an amazing experience – especially the “tough” final against Wits.
“We’re representing all of Africa in Geneva so I think we’ve got quite a big task to put Africa on the map,” she said.
Rhodes law students have competed and come 14th in the Geneva finals over the past two years that Africa has been included in the competition.
Heideman said making the finals again showed the university had a consistently high standard when it came to mooting.
“Moots form a core part of the LLB curriculum at Rhodes; they teach students research and writing skills, as well as public speaking, court etiquette and time management,” she said. — davidm@dispatch.co.za
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