Chief Justice Nicholas Herd

 

“The one who plants trees knowing that they will never sit in their shade, has started to understand the meaning of life.”

Nicholas is the sitting Chief Justice of the Constitutional Tribunal (Student Court) of the University of Pretoria. He brings with him a wealth of experience and knowledge in drafting, interpreting, and enforcing policies. He has been involved in institutional governance since his ‘padawan’ (#StarWars) days in high school. 

Nicholas has several years of provincial and national debating under his belt and has won, coached and judged in several national and international Moot Court competitions; these include: winning the National Child Law Moot in his first year; winning the continent-wide 27th African Moot Court Competition in his second year; and coaching the UP Team to the finals of the 28th African Moot Court Competition in his third year.

As of 2020, Nicholas is a final year LLB student; a member of the Editorial Board of and an Editor for the Pretoria Student Law Review (PSLR); and a tutor of Administrative Law (PBL 310) for the Department of Public Law (UP). He is particularly passionate about constitutionalism and fairness and is committed to substantive (+ procedural) justice and human rights. Friendly warning:  it is probably best to avoid raising any of the aforementioned topics with Nic as you might be subjected to an aggressive, impromptu lecture series. When not reading case law, Nic can probably be found drafting friendship agreements, dispensing unsolicited advice, and/or arguing about some legal doctrine. Nic also likes hugs.

 

Deputy Chief Justice Abena Osei-Fofie 

"The enemy of innovation is the familiar; greatness begins beyond your comfort zone"

Abena is our Deputy Chief Justice and also chairs the Discipline and Standards Committee. She is experienced in student leadership as she has been involved with student governance since high school.

She is an avid sportswoman in various sporting codes, but her true passion lies in netball. She has played for the TuksNetball club since 2017 (her first year) and still continues to represent the club. She has gone on to represent Tshwane each year in her respective age groups and has won the National Championships twice.

Abena also tutors Jurisprudence to first years as a way of sharing her love for the law. She is particularly keen on the commitment to the realization of human rights for all. 

Abena has an infectious smile and a warm presence. She can always be found laughing and cracking jokes. But don’t let that fool you, she’s a straight talker and always tells it like it is.

 

Registrar and Justice Thapelo Ntlatleng

"If the game shakes me or breaks me, I hope it makes me a better man, take a better stand"- Biggie

Thapelo is currently a sitting Judge and is part of the Executive Committee; chairs the Administrative Committee and is a member of the Law Reform Committee of the Constitutional Tribunal (Student Court) of the University of Pretoria. His participation in the First Year Moot League Competition undertaken as dare to himself proved to be an enriching experience by peeling the veil about the possibilities and limitations of the law. Growing up in Soweto , which is at the epicenter of some of the country’s pivotal political moments,  served as a visceral introduction to the deep structural fissures and inequalities that exist in South African society. It is a home that inspires and frustrates. However, Thapelo’s passage into the law did not sprout exclusively from these experiences as his journey detoured into science, sports management and film, and television. 

With a penchant for the arts and simultaneously being influenced by indigenous knowledge systems, Thapelo’s passion for institutional governance finds its home in intellectual property rights. For Thapelo, issues relating to student governance are rooted from the kaleidoscope of his educational experiences which range from its relative absence in rural schools; the undue restrictions placed on student governance activism in township schools to how school governing bodies in former model c schools frustrate the project of transformative constitutionalism. This intersectional approach towards the law has enabled Thapelo to realize that in order for justice, which is the recognition of the inherent moral worth of each person, to be achieved-it requires the collective effort of all the levers of power in society. 

When Thapelo isn’t busy dedicating his time to his studies you can catch him on the basketball court dropping 50 points on the low. Alternatively, you can find him sharpening his bantering skills while watching or playing football with his homies. And if the nostalgia is strong enough, he might pull out a crate to play cricket on some tarmac. Challenge him to an Instagram battle on music and he will categorically smoke you but if you don’t have two left feet then you are definitely getting him out of here in a dance-off.

 

Senior Student  Judge Nicola Irving 

“The horizon leans forward, Offering you space to place new steps of change.”

Nicola completed her BA Law degree in 2018, majoring in history and graduating with distinction. She is now a final year LL.B student and is serving her second term on the Constitutional Tribunal (Student Court), as a Senior Judge. Moreover, Nicola is the Chairperson for the internal Events and Outreach Committee.

In July 2019, Nicola attended a summer school in Turin, Italy for the Law Schools Global League, as a representative of the University of Pretoria. Nicola is also a Student Assistant for the Department of Mercantile Law and the Institute for Comparative and International Law in Africa (ICLA).

Nicola’s fiery personality is not the only thing that makes her a great Judge.  She is also an ardent social justice activist and is passionate about wildlife conservation, environmental protection, and women’s rights. Nicola aspires to pursue a career in wildlife criminal prosecution, having dedicated much of her time to Temminck’s pangolin conservation. 

Nicola enjoys playing tennis, reading books, and taking long walks. She is also a self-professed ‘cat lady’.

 

Senior Student Judge James van der Meulen

“The most important thing is to enjoy your life - to be happy - it's all that matters.”- Audrey Hepburn

James van der Meulen is currently a sitting Senior Judge on the Constitutional Tribunal (Student Court) of the University of Pretoria. He is also the Chairman of the Marketing Committee Portfolio for the Tribunal. This year (2020) will be his second term of serving on the Tribunal. Institutional governance has, for a long while, been one of his interests which stemmed from his service as a student leader and First Team tennis captain at Westville Boys’ High School. He is also no stranger to outreach missions which may be attributed to his stint as a member at the Durban Youth Council. 

James, over his University career, has accumulated a few accolades which specifically relate to his academic journey. Over the first three years of his LL.B degree, he has found himself recognized as a part of the Dean’s List of the Law Faculty as well as being recognized as a member of the Golden Key International Society. Over-and-above his academic journey, James has also found himself involved in student life through the offering of his services to the social committee over his two years in the, then, Taaibos Residence.

Whilst James is passionate about the academic responsibility a student experiences, he is also particularly interested in the advancement of Human Rights and their rightful place in everyday life and the attention they require from each sector of our economy. On top of this, he is also currently exploring the consequences of novel common-law property doctrines and the rights they create in light of Section 25 (the ‘property clause’) of the Constitution of the Republic of South Africa in his fourth-year dissertation.

James is also a social individual who enjoys a substantial portion of his life with his friends and family. He is also a liberal human-being and may often be found questioning practices which he deems unfair. He is an approachable person and can be trusted to give each and every person the due attention as well as ensuring that he completes each of his tasks to the best of his ability. 

 

Student Judge Aniel Opperman

“We can know only that we know nothing. And that is the highest degree of human wisdom.”

Aniel is currently a sitting Judge. She previously held the position of Deputy Chairperson of Students for Law and Social Justice (SLSJ). She strives to help others where she can and to the best of her ability. 

She is an LLM student completing her coursework masters in International Air, Space and Telecommunications Law. She is passionate about international law and aviation law, especially where commercial law intertwines with these. Aniel also loves litigation, especially after completing the Trial Advocacy Course.

When not trying to navigate the world of international law, Aniel is either found in the kitchen, drawing, reading books, or posting Instagram photos of her Italian Greyhound, Luigi. She is also obsessed with flowers.

In one of her favorite books, War and Peace, Leo Tolstoy wrote that “we can know only that we know nothing. And that is the highest degree of human wisdom.” For this reason, Aniel knows she will never stop learning.

 

Student Judge Khalipha Shange

 

“ It is better to die for an idea that will live, than to live for an idea that will die” - Bantu Steve Biko.

Khalipha is a final year LL. B student at the University of Pretoria and a Judge of the Constitutional Tribunal, serving on the Discipline and Standards Committee, which is responsible for the maintenance of judicial ethics and discipline of the Constitutional Tribunal’s Judges.

Although not a Mooter himself, Khalipha is a Regional Schools Moot Court Coordinator for Central Johannesburg District (CJD), tasked with facilitating workshops on essay drafting and oral litigation on legal documents and academic writings. In 2019, Khalipha was presented with a Values in Education Special Award by the CJD’s Gauteng Department of Education for his tireless efforts in ensuring the local district teams’ development and competitiveness in the National Schools Moot Court Competition (NSMCC).

His passion for the investigation of the Black Consciousness Movement legacy in the aftermath of apartheid is illustrated by his involvement in the Inkosi Albert Luthuli Oral History debate at CJD. If not busy with his academic commitments Khalipha can be found at Lawhouse debating about headlines issues with his friends Simon, Promise, and Namatai.

 

Student Judge Charlene Ferns 

“We will debate the big issues, defend those who cannot defend themselves, and relish in the challenges along the way. We will make a difference in this world.”

Charlene Ferns is an ambitious and conscientious final year LL. B student, who completed her BA Law degree in 2018 with a major in Criminology. She is currently serving her first term on the Constitutional Tribunal (Student Court) as a Judge and sits on various internal committees (marketing, outreach, administration, as well as treasury and fundraising). Charlene is also the primary curator of the UP Constitutional Tribunal website. 

In 2019, Charlene became a member of the Golden Key Academic Honour Society. In June of that same year, she also represented the University of Pretoria at a Private International Law Summer School in Salzburg, Austria. This summer school piqued her interest in pursuing an LL.M degree in a foreign jurisdiction – a path which she is still actively pursuing.

In her spare time, Charlene can mostly be found either volunteering Woodrock Animal Rescue or working at her part-time job on the weekend. She is a compassionate, hard-working, and inquisitive young woman, with social-justice interests primarily in rhino conservation and women’s empowerment. Charlene aspires to be the type of lawyer that continuously questions and draws people’s attention to the moral and ethical issues of the law and its application in society. 

Charlene frequents the law library, where she can usually be found reading books and legal articles. She also loves to hike and travel.

 

Student Judge Monica Nortje

“It is not wisdom but authority that makes a law.”- Thomas Hobbes

Monica is a current sitting judge on the Constitutional Tribunal (Student Court) of the University of Pretoria. She is also part of the marketing and the events and outreach committees. She believes that order and discipline will bring justice.

She spent the first three years of her law degree in Bloemfontein at the University of the Free State. She then transferred to the University of Pretoria in 2019. She has been a member of the Golden Key Honour Society since 2017. Leadership always played a big part in her life as she was a prefect in her high school and the Deputy Chairperson of her district in Land service. She also earned her Springbok Colours in Land service as well as honorary colours in her high school. She also formed part of her school’s debate team and was a writer for her school’s newspaper.

If she is not fighting for justice, she can be found on stage performing a play or a musical. She also writes short stories and recently started her own YouTube Channel. She enjoys serving people and is part of her church’s outreach teams. Her philosophy is moving forward and not looking back.

 

Student Judge Jolande Pretorius

“Silence in the face of evil is itself evil(...) Not to speak is to speak. Not to act is to act” – Dietrich Bonhöffer.

Jolanda is currently a sitting judge on the Constitutional Tribunal, serving on the Law Reform portfolio and the Discipline and Standards portfolio. 

Jolanda is a final year LL.B student, having completed her BSc Genetics degree in 2016. She served on the Moot Society 2018/19 as secretary and was an Executive Committee member of UPBI. She is passionate about criminal law and social justice. Her sense of justice, speaking for the voiceless, and passion for litigation drives her to fulfill her duties as a student, mentor, judge, and tutor. 

In her spare time, Jolanda loves hiking and is ambitious about exploring a different mountain top each year.  

 

Student Judge Zoë-Lee Teperson 

“Laws should be like clothes. They should be made to fit the people they are meant to serve.” -Clarence Darrow

Zoë is a third year LLB student who is currently a sitting judge on the Constitutional Tribunal. Apart from her judicial functions, she is also a part of the law reform, marketing, treasury, and outreach committees on the Tribunal. As a first-year tutor for the Department of Jurisprudence, she is zealous about critically engaging with the law and challenging the way people think. 

She has appeared on the 2018 Dean’s List and is part of the Golden Key Honours Society. Zoë hopes that one day her law will help those for whom the law is meant to serve and break down stereotypical barriers.

 

Student Judge Buike-Tobe Steffanie Adigwe

“It is not possible to be in favor of justice for some people and not be in favor of justice for all people.” – Martin Luther King Jr

Buike-Tobe Steffanie Adigwe, is a hardworking and goal-driven final year LLB student who recently obtained her Bachelor of Arts Degree in 2018, majoring in Criminology.

Steffanie is currently a sitting judge on the Constitutional Tribunal (Student Court) at the University of Pretoria. Ancillary to her duties as a judge, Steffanie serves as the Chairperson of the treasury and fundraising committee of the tribunal. Prior to her role in the Constitutional Tribunal, Steffanie served as the treasurer of the Legal Shebeen at the University of Pretoria. 

She is a confident and independent individual, who is passionate about the advancement of social justice and the protection of human rights. She enjoys engaging in mentally stimulating conversations regarding controversial topics.  In her spare time, Steffanie enjoys reading, writing, and watching YouTube and dog videos. 

 

Student Judge Jason Lane

“Live honestly, hurt no-one, pay each their due”

Jason is a newly appointed judge on the Constitutional Tribunal for the University of Pretoria and is a part of both the Administrative and Law Reform Committees respectively. He is currently in his third year of BA Law, majoring in Philosophy, and will continue on to complete his LLB.

He has a developed sense of justice, drive, and a good amount of determination that ensures he handles all his obligations and duties with care. He has historically been involved in many activities outside of his studies which include high school debating, the Group 621 Commercial Law Moot as well as previously serving on the House Committee for TuksVillage.

His attention is easily grabbed by the mention of dogs (pets in general), legal scenarios needing clarification, the suggestion of food, and books/series recommendations.

In his downtime, Jason can be found chatting to friends, raving about philosophy and games, challenging himself to a new endeavour, sitting in quiet reflection, or answering the irregular call to adventure with unbridled enthusiasm.

 

Student Judge Tshephisho Somo

“In the darkest time, hope is the light you give yourself” - General Iroh, Avatar: The Last Airbender.

 

Tshephisho is currently a sitting judge and is part of the Law Reform Committee of the Constitutional tribunal. She developed an interest in the law as a high school student while participating in and winning numerous public speaking competitions. 

As an undergraduate student, she participated in and won several Moot Court competitions while tutoring and winning several module prizes. She graduated with her LLB degree cum laude in 2016. Following her graduation, she was appointed as a candidate attorney at Adams & Adams, where after she worked as an associate at the firm and later on as an associate at CMS RM Partners. She has experience in corporate law, insurance law, family law, and administrative law. She’s currently completing her Masters degree in Extractive Industry Law in Africa and working as an academic associate in the Jurisprudence department. 

In her free time, she reads poetry and anything and everything by Gabriel Garciá Márquez. In the event that she is not reading, she is either learning French or Korean so she has no need for subtitles when watching Korean and French dramas; or watching the most gruesome anime.

 

Student Judge Sbongile Mhlambi 

Sbongile currently sits as a Judge of the Constitutional Tribunal (Student Court). She is also an Admitted Attorney of the High Court of South Africa and a first-year Master of Laws student. Her passion for justice and service propelled her to engage in a variety of community outreach projects in the course of her secondary and tertiary studies. 

She worked tirelessly to ensure that she obtained her LL.B. with distinction from the University of the Western Cape so that she could use the knowledge and skill she acquired during her studies to give back to those who do not readily have access to judicial resources, or do not know how to go about exercising their rights and freedoms.

Sbongile takes pleasure in conducting legal research, drafting, and writing articles on the latest developments in the law of Insurance, Wills, Trusts and Estate Planning, which are her fields of expertise. She has written numerous articles over the years, including the Incidence of Risk and the Doctrine of Subrogation, the Distribution of Assets from Deceased Estates before Winding Up, and Donation Agreements, among others. 

In her spare time, Sbongile can be found immersing herself in a crime thriller or psychological suspense paperback. She also enjoys traveling, meeting new people, and learning about their cultures and traditions.   

 

Student Justice Chelsea Swanepoel

 

“If you stand for nothing what will you fall for?” – Alexander Hamilton 

 

Chelsea is a newly appointed judge of the Constitutional Tribunal. She has a passion for the law, litigation, and the pursuit of justice. She is a proud BA Law graduate of the University of Pretoria and is undertaking completion of the final two years of her LLB degree. 

Chelsea has a special place in her heart for the arts and has always been eager to get involved and show her support for campus activities of this nature. She has contributed to and been published in the Pretoria Student Law Review and strives to continue to address substantive justice for those underserved by the law. 

Despite her self-proclaimed “hazard” status in the kitchen, and series of ruined pots and pans with contents charred beyond recognition, Chelsea loves home-cooking and entertaining. She is, however, most commonly spotted in her natural habitat: curled up with a book, article or case, and hot beverage.