You’re offline. This is a read only version of the page.
We are proud to celebrate a milestone for our Faculty of Law: our first student participation at the prestigious Christof Heyns African Moot Court Competition, held at the University of Cape Town (UCT) from 29 June to 5 July. This event united some of the sharpest legal minds across Africa, offering a platform for future legal professionals to hone their advocacy skills, engage with real-world issues, and represent their institutions on an international stage.
This year, 57 institutions from across the continent participated in the competition. Eduvos was one of 17 South African institutions to argue a hypothetical legal case centred on statelessness and human rights in Africa.
Preliminary rounds required teams to argue the case from both Applicant and Respondent perspectives. They were evaluated on their knowledge of the facts, articulation and correct analysis of issues within the case, familiarity with international law (with preference for African authorities), persuasiveness, ingenuity, organisational skills, and their ability to respond to questions posed by the panel.
At Eduvos, we are committed to equipping students with practical experiences that prepare them for the world of work. Moot court competitions are one example of such opportunities, developing students’ confidence, critical thinking, and oral advocacy. While this was the first time Eduvos participated in this competition, moot court is already embedded in our Faculty of Law.
“Guiding the Eduvos team at the Christof Heyns African Human Rights Moot Court Competition was an extraordinary privilege,” says Janko Vorster, Law Lecturer at Eduvos. “For their first foray into the international arena, our students demonstrated remarkable prowess, achieving an average oralist score of 72.63, a memorial score of 74.50, and an overall score of 73.56. These results are particularly striking given that our team included a first-year student among the oralists, competing against seasoned teams from across Africa. I am sure this experience was transformative for the team, equipping them with intellectual rigour and advocacy skills hard-earned through months of training.”
Following standout performances in our internal moot court competition, Keabetsoe Mqwati, a first-year student from Eduvos Vaal (Vanderbijlpark), and Shreshtha Jadoonan, a third-year student from Eduvos Durban (Umhlanga), were selected to represent Eduvos at the Christof Heyns African Moot Court Competition. They were supported by Thabang Sethwana, a second-year student from Eduvos Midrand, and Layla De Bruyn, a second-year student from Eduvos Mowbray, whose legal research added depth to the team’s case preparation.
Throughout the competition, the students received detailed feedback from experienced legal professionals. After one round, where Eduvos’ team appeared as the Applicant against a Kenyan team, a judge remarked that it was one of the best presentations they had seen that day. Another complimented Eduvos’ rebuttal for its strategic anticipation of opposing arguments.
Although the team didn’t advance to the quarter-finals, their performance was a proud first for Eduvos and reflected their strong preparation and commitment. Eduvos achieved an impressive 72.63% for overall team performance and 74.50% for their written legal memorials.
For our students, the real value lies in the feedback. Judges encouraged teams to embrace challenging questions, using them as opportunities to demonstrate depth of understanding, which can earn them even higher marks and serve them well in their future careers.
For Eduvos, this debut marks an exciting step forward for our Faculty of Law. Beyond results and accolades, it reflects our dedication to hands-on learning and preparing students for meaningful careers.
We are proud of Keabetsoe, Shreshtha, Thabang, and Layla, not just for representing Eduvos, but for demonstrating the commitment that defines our student body.
Stay updated with the latest from our Eduvos blog.