The South African National Schools Moot Court Competition is an annual moot court competition established in 2011 aimed at creating greater consciousness and understanding in South African schools and communities about the Constitution of the Republic of South Africa and the values embodied by it through the active participation of learners in a moot court competition.[1] [2]
The finalists automatically qualify to represent South Africa at the International Schools Moot Court Competition, hosted in the Hague, in the Netherlands. South African law school.
The moot is divided into written and oral rounds. All secondary schools in South Africa are invited to send a team of two grade-10 or 11 learners to submit two short essays, each arguing the opposing view of the set fictional question. A panel of experts evaluate the submissions and select the four best submissions from each of South Africa's nine provinces which are then invited to the semi-final oral rounds held at the University of Pretoria, with the winners arguing in the final round at the Constitutional Court of South Africa, Johannesburg. In the inaugural competition, 32 teams competed in the provincial rounds. However, as of 2019, the Moot problem has been made a part of the school curriculum, reaching a potential 2 million learners.[3]
The moot court is organised and supported by the[4] Department of Basic Education, Department of Justice and Constitutional Development, South African Human Rights Commission, and University of Pretoria Faculty of Law.
| Year | Judge | Position |
|---|---|---|
| 2011[5] | Justice Dikgang Moseneke (Presiding) | Deputy Chief Justice of the Constitutional Court |
| Justice Johan Froneman | Justice of the Constitutional Court | |
| Supreme Court of Appeal Judge Acting Justice of the Constitutional Court | ||
| Justice Zak Yacoob | Justice of the Constitutional Court | |
| Yanine Poc | Regional representative of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights in Southern Africa | |
| 2012[6] | Justice Bess Nkabinde (Presiding) | Justice of the Constitutional Court |
| Justice Edwin Cameron | Justice of the Constitutional Court | |
| Ms Yasmin Sooka | Director, Foundation for Human Rights | |
| Dr Zonke Majodina | Chairperson of the United Nations Human Rights Committee | |
| Prof Ann Skelton | Director, Centre for Child Law, University of Pretoria | |
| Year | Winner | Runner-up | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2011[7] | Hoërskool Richardsbaai | ||
| 2012[8] | Springfield Convent School |