Historic landmark for Unisa North Eastern Region

These mooters raised the flag of the Unisa North Eastern Region and the City of Polokwane at the 2022 Moot Court competition hosted by the College of Law through the Unisa Law Clinic. The annual initiative of the Law Clinic exposes students to the practical side of the legal profession. The training is designed to equip students with skills in trial advocacy, court etiquette, public speaking, legal research, presentation, and legal drafting skills.

From the left: Malesela Radebe, Dr Lesiba Molepo (North Eastern Region's Acting Regional Director), Edith Baloyi and Kabelo Mahlase

After their regional triumph at the High Court, Limpopo Division in Polokwane, the students represented the North Eastern Region at Unisa's Muckleneuk Campus in Pretoria, in the Gauteng Province. Eighteen law students from the Durban, Polokwane, Pretoria, East London, Ekurhuleni, Johannesburg, and Cape Town campuses participated in the competition, each representing their respective regions.

The Polokwane team successfully got the better of its opponents in the first and second rounds, until ultimately making it into the final round of the competition, where they faced the Pretoria students before Judge Roland Sutherland, the Deputy Judge President of the High Court, South Gauteng Division in Johannesburg, Professor Billy Gundelfinger, a Specialist Criminal and Family Law Attorney at Billy Gundelfinger Attorneys, Chairperson of the Disciplinary Committee of the Legal Practice Council and Professor in the College of Law at Unisa, and Professor Mpfariseni Budeli-Nemakonde, the Acting Deputy Executive Dean in the College of Law at Unisa.

Legal delegates and mooters at the Limpopo High Court

It is the first time in the competition's history that the North Eastern Region was awarded gold medals for reaching the final round and competing for the coveted Moot Court champions trophy. While the Polokwane team emerged as runners-up, reaching the finals was a historic milestone. Moreover, for their stellar performance, the group received the Best Memorial Award for their cogent and well-drafted heads of arguments. Receiving the award was Kabelo Mahlase, who, in addition, was found to be the second-best counsel on the day and was thus awarded Runner-up Best Oralist.

The eloquence and robustness of the students' arguments in front of the bench demonstrated the concerted effort they put into their preparation and how they perfectly executed their trainers' instructions. Therefore, the calibre displayed by the Polokwane team is indeed axiomatic, that they are well-sharpened and ready to join the legal fraternity.

This year's team of training instructors comprised Professor Angelo Dube and Advocate Lentumetse Padi, both from Unisa's Department of Public, Constitutional and International Law, and Sipho Matshie from the Unisa Law Clinic, who wish to extend their gratitude to the North Eastern Region staff for their support and effort in contributing to student development projects.

*Submitted by the North Eastern Region, Polokwane