University of Johannesburg: Faculty of Law Jessup Team wins the Philip C. Jessup International Law Moot Court Competition!

The University of Johannesburg (UJ), Faculty of Law Jessup team, won the South African national rounds of the Philip C. Jessup International Law Moot Court Competition on Saturday 5 March. The team, composed of Ms Samantha Smit (3rd Year B.Com Law); Ms Alexis Phelps (Final Year LLB); Mr Motlatsi Kgosimore (3rd Year LLB); Mr Gideon Van Wyk (3rd Year LLB); and Mr Rufus Ranhlakgwe (3rd Year LLB), also won best memorials while Mr Gideon Van Wyk also won the best oralist prize. This means that the UJ team ultimately won all the awards available in the South African rounds.

Jessup is the world’s largest moot court competition, with participants from 700 law schools in 100 countries and jurisdictions. This year students present arguments on a range of complex issues in international law such as the admissibility of illegally obtained evidence, disinformation campaigns in foreign elections and the legality of taking down malware that has affected devices across multiple countries. With the continued growth of cyberspace and military operations in cyberspace, these questions will become of even greater importance in the years ahead.

The team is being coached by Mr Louis Koen (Assistant Lecturer). He was also assisted in team selection by Mrs Kgomotso Mufamadi (Lecturer) and Mrs Brooke Badenhorst (UJ Alumni and former Lawmentor). Ms Ntokozo Sobikwa (UJ Alumni) also assisted in presiding over a practice moot. The team will now advance to the international rounds set to take place from 25 March 2022. We wish the team all the best for the upcoming rounds.