Law students square off

Judges grill moot court participants during the Unisa Inter-Regional Moot Court Competition for 2016.

Law students went head to head during the Unisa College of Law Inter-Regional Moot Court Competition. Participants had to display both their oral skills and a good grasp of law in their bid to win the title of the competition. The two-day Moot was held at the Muckleneuk Campus from 6 to 7 October 2016.

The Moot Court kicked off with fierce competition amongst six regions which battled it out to secure the finalists. The following teams went neck to neck to eliminate each other from the race: Limpopo, Cape Town, Science Campus, Pretoria Campus, Mbombela, and Midlands. After a bruising battle, Pretoria and Midlands proceeded to the final.

The Pretoria Campus walked away with the title after defeating Midlands, which put up a spirited fight.

Nicholas Kapumha, a third-year LLB student from Pretoria Campus, was the best speaker, with Ntombizodwa Msane as the runner-up. An emotional Kapumha, who was overwhelmed, couldn’t utter a single word. He had initially wanted to pull out of the competition after losing his father during the preparation stages. When he was called on stage to receive the award, he broke into tears.

Msane, who is also third-year student, said the competition was an eye-opener and she had gained a deep understanding of law.

Nicholas Kapumha (Best speaker: 2016 Unisa Inter-Regional Moot Court) and Ntombizodwa Msane (Runner-up: 2016 Unisa Inter-Regional Moot Court)

“It was a great experience and I feel humble. It has enhanced my understanding of the law,” she said smilingly.

She also urged other students to participate in the competition, saying the Moot Court provided an opportunity for law students to assess their litigation skills.

Billy Gundelfinger, who spoke on behalf of the judges, praised the participants for the quality of argument, confidence, and knowledge of the cases and the level of research displayed. He said the participants had done sterling work and it showed a dramatic increase compared to previous years.

In her opening remarks, Professor Rushiella Songca, Executive Dean of the College of Law, said the competition was geared to equip students and to shape their advocacy skills, which is the requisite need to practice in the legal profession.

She added that the college will continue to expand the competition to ensure that all law students in the eight Unisa regions had fair access and could enter the competition. She also urged the students to show eagerness to enter the competition, saying a great deal of money was invested in the Moot Court, despite the austerity measures.

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