The annual National Schools Moot Court Competition (NSMCC) was initiated in 2011 to create awareness of the Constitution and the Bill of Rights in schools and communities in South Africa. The aim was partly to encourage learners to consider pursuing careers in human rights law, but more broadly to contribute towards the civic education of all our young people, whatever career they may follow. Learners from all schools in the country are invited to participate in the South African Schools Moot Court Competition, first by submitting essays, after which the ten strongest teams in the province are selected to participate in oral provincial hearings. The four teams with the highest scores are then invited to the national rounds, first in Pretoria and then in Johannesburg, in the Constitutional Court. The finals are held at the Constitutional Court before a panel of nine judges.
FHR had piloted the programme successfully before it was handed over to the Department of Basic Education (DBE) and the South Africa African Human Rights Commission (SAHRC) in 2019. The DSTV learning Channel 319 was used to air the proceedings of the Moot Court during the pilot phase. The FHR credits the success of this programme to the late Ms Lucrecia Seafield who worked tirelessly with DBE officials and the Centre for Human Rights at the University of Pretoria.
South Africa is regularly invited to participate at the International Moot Court (IMC), the world competition for school’s moots. The IMC is a biennial international competition organized by The Hague City Council in collaboration with the City of New York. The competition is intended for high school learners and is aimed at encouraging an engagement with international criminal law. The competition is open to learners from all countries and is hosted in The Hague, Netherlands. South Africa has actively participated in the IMC for a number of years, having won the competition in 2016 and 2020.
FHR had piloted the programme successfully before it was handed over to the Department of Basic Education (DBE) and the South Africa African Human Rights Commission (SAHRC) in 2019. The DSTV learning Channel 319 was used to air the proceedings of the Moot Court during the pilot phase. The FHR credits the success of this programme to the late Ms Lucrecia Seafield who worked tirelessly with DBE officials and the Centre for Human Rights at the University of Pretoria.
South Africa is regularly invited to participate at the International Moot Court (IMC), the world competition for school’s moots. The IMC is a biennial international competition organized by The Hague City Council in collaboration with the City of New York. The competition is intended for high school learners and is aimed at encouraging an engagement with international criminal law. The competition is open to learners from all countries and is hosted in The Hague, Netherlands. South Africa has actively participated in the IMC for a number of years, having won the competition in 2016 and 2020.
