The National Moot Court Competition is a project presented by the Universities of Pretoria, Venda and the Western Cape, in partnership with the Department of Basic Education, Department of Justice and Constitutional Development and the Foundation for Human Rights. The purpose of the National Moot Court Competition resonate closely with that of the Department of Basic Education, in particular the race and values in education directorate. The Department of Basic Education views the competition as an opportunity to strengthen its endeavour to inculcate in learners the values of the Constitution of South Africa, while promoting respect and appreciation for diverse ideas and opinions. The competition offers learners the opportunity to see the Constitution in action.
The first annual National Schools Moot Court Competition will take place at the Constitutional Court in Johannesburg on National Human Rights Day, 21 March 2011. Teams from four schools in each of the nine provinces – a total of 72 learners - have been selected to take part in this groundbreaking event.
The learners will be expected to play the role of the lawyers in a fictional court case dealing with constitutional issues. The four teams from each province will be paired against one another to determine the provincial winners at the University of Pretoria on 20 March. The two winning provincial teams, who attain the highest scores, will compete against each other to determine an overall winning team in the final round at the Constitutional Court. The judges in the final round will include the following Constitutional Court Judges: Deputy Chief Justice Dikgang Moseneke, Justice Johan Froneman, Justice Kenneth Mthiyane and Justice Zakeria Yacoob.
All secondary schools in South Africa were invited to enter a team of two learners. In the first round of the Competition, learners were expected to write two short essays setting out the opposing sides of the case. These essays were then evaluated by a panel of experts and the best four submissions in each one of the nine provinces were identified.
Legal professionals countrywide made time to assist learners and educators in preparing them to participate in the competition. Law faculties at universities throughout the country also reached out to learners to assist them with their preparations. The language medium of this event will be English but participants will be allowed to use any of the official languages in the final round.
The aim of the competition is to reach as many secondary school learners as possible to create greater awareness in schools and communities in South Africa about the Constitution and the values that it embodies through active participation. It will also provide a unique opportunity for learners to consider a career in law. We also envisage that this competition will become an annual competition.
The Deputy Minister of Basic Education, Mr Enver Surty, asserts that “the National Schools Moot Court Competition provides an excellent opportunity for learners in all the secondary schools in our country to get a taste of how the Constitution and the law work. It is the most ambitious attempt in the last decade to take the Constitution to the people, and it provides the chance for entire communities to join forces with the schools in their neighbourhood to make sure that their learners understand their rights and obligations as stipulated in the Constitution. This initiative is closely linked to the Bill of Rights, which frames the Bill of Responsibilities developed by the Department of Basic Education and the National Religious Leaders Forum”.
The Deputy Minister of Justice and Constitutional Development, Mr Andries Nel, fully endorses this project. He has indicated that: “Whilst in recent years, we have faced the tremendous challenge of developing and adapting our law to bring it in line with our Constitution which reflects democratic values and a Bill of Rights that prioritises the protection of human rights, the rights enshrined in the Constitution would be hollow and empty if these rights are not realised through programmes and services. To do so people of all ages need to know their rights and obligations.”
For more details on the competition please see http://www.up.ac.za/law or contact Ms Phindi Ngcobo, at ngcobo.p@dbe.gov.za or the organiser at the University of Pretoria, Cherryl Botterill, at cherryl.botterill@gmail.com
Source: Department of Education
