ELSA WTO Moot Court Competition

 

2015 African Regionals Rounds of the ELSA Moot Court Competition

 

From 30 to 31 March 2015, the TuksLaw team of the Faculty of Law of the University of Pretoria competed in the 2nd African Regional Rounds of the European Law Students’ Association (ELSA) Moot Court Competition for the first time. The ELSA Moot Court Competition (EMCC) is a simulated hearing of the Dispute Settlement System of the World Trade Organization and deals with international trade law issues. The competition is an opportunity for both undergraduate and postgraduate students from all over the world to argue a simulated case that is compiled by a leading international trade expert. The competition, which comprises both written submissions (memorials) and oral rounds, is held under the following rounds - the All-American Regional Round, the Asia-Pacific Regional Round, the two European Regional Rounds, and the newly established African Regional Round.

Eight teams participated in the competition hosted by the Mandela Institute of the University of the Witwatersrand:

Team 001

University of the Witwatersrand

 

South Africa

Team 017

University of Dar Es Salaam

 

Tanzania

Team 024

Catholic University of Eastern Africa

 

Kenya

Team 063

Rhodes University

 

South Africa

Team 064

Riara University 

 

Kenya

Team 074

Uganda Christian University

 

Uganda

Team 077

University of Pretoria Law Faculty

 

South Africa

Team 081

National University of Lesotho

 

Lesotho

The TuksLaw team, consisting of Anele Simon (LLB IV), Edgar Mathebula (LLB III), Gift Kgomosotho (LLB IV) and Tinotenda Kokora (LLB II), and coached by Magalie Masamba, an alumnus of the LLM in International Trade and Investment Law in Africa at the University of Pretoria, walked away with the laurels.  The team was awarded a plaque, the WTI prize and copies of the book Law and Policy of the World Trade Organization by Werner Zdouc and Peter Van den Bosssche.  Winning this competition was a huge feat for both the TuksLaw students and the University of Pretoria, as none of the participants took an international trade law course and were first exposed to this area of law through this competition. Gift Kgomosotho was declared the best oralist in the preliminary rounds. 

This year ELSA generously allowed three teams to proceed to the international rounds. By virtue of being the African champions the University of Pretoria will be proceeding to the international rounds to be held at the WTO headquarters in Geneva. The runners-up, Rhodes University and the University of Lesotho will also be attending the international rounds. In addition the University of Pretoria team has been awarded scholarships for the Summer School Programme at the World Trade Institute in Bern, Geneva in July 2015 and each participant received a copy of Law and Policy of the WTO, signed by authors P van den Bossche and W Zdouc.

According to Coach Magalie Masamba “the competition was a great success and the TuksLaw team is very grateful for the support from the sponsors of the competition, as well as the Faculty of Law and the TuksLaw Moot Society of the University of Pretoria.”

 

- Author Magalie Masamba / Elzet Hurter

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