Talent Gore
MIDLANDS State University’s Faculty of Law has been crowned African Champions in the 33rd Christof Heyns African Human Rights Moot Court Competition.
The competition was held from July 22-27 in Kigali, Rwanda.
MSU is the first Zimbabwean university to win the competition.
The winning team comprised MSU and Ebonyi State University Abakaliki of Ebonyi State, Nigeria.
The runner ups were the University of Nairobi, Kenya, and the Université Thomas Sankara, Burkina Faso.
The MSU team was represented by Watson Tonderai Somerai and Michelle Patricia Chiwanga and their coach Claudios Makwara.
The team put up a sterling performance in the competition to emerge as the African champions for the first time.
The moot court competition was organised by the Centre for Human Rights, South Africa.
The competition had 50 Anglophone teams, nine Francophone teams and one Lusophone team.
MSU acting Executive Dean in the Faculty of Law, Dr Amanda Mugadza, highlighted that the African championship was not just a trophy for the cabinet but a beacon of hope and inspiration for aspiring legal students across the nation.
“This victory is not just a win for MSU but a testament to the rising standards of legal education in Zimbabwe,” she said.
“It underscores the University’s commitment to producing world class legal professionals equipped to tackle the complex challenges of the 21st century.”
MSU Pro-Vice Chancellor for Infrastructure and Campus Development, Dr Gift Manyatera, said:
“These young legal eagles are national heroes.
“They have raised Zimbabwe’s flag to unprecedented heights on the continental stage.”