Stars from Great Zimbabwe
STUDENTS from the Great Zimbabwe University’s Herbert Chitepo Law School excelled at the recent African Regional Rounds of the John Jackson Moot Court Competition.
The competition ran from April 20 to April 25, 2020 and was hosted virtually by the European Law Students’ Association in association with the World Trade Organisation.
The African Regional Rounds of the Competition were initially supposed to be hosted by the University of Nairobi in Kenya, but following the global outbreak of the coronavirus infectious disease-19 (Covid-19), the competition was moved to a virtual platform.
The competition is named after American Professor John Howard Jackson, one of the instrumental figures in the formation of the World Trade Organisation (WTO).
The annual competition brings together students from different parts of the world, who get to argue a simulated case on International Trade Law.
The Herbert Chitepo Law School was the only Zimbabwean university participating in the competition.
The Faculty was represented by Simbarashe Chigumira and Nontokozo Moyo. The duo performed exceptionally well and managed to reach the final round of the competition where they eventually came runners-up.
In addition to the team being placed second, Simbarashe Chigumira was also given a Best Oralist Award.
The team has also qualified for the International Rounds of the Competition, which will include teams from the rest of world.
According to the organisers of the competition, the International Rounds, which were supposed to be held in Geneva, have also been moved to a virtual platform as a result of the Covid-19 pandemic.
The dynamic performance of the team is a testament of the quality legal education that is offered by the Great Zimbabwe University’s Herbert Chitepo Law School.
At the moment, the Herbert Chitepo Law School is currently the only faculty in the country, which offers International Trade Law as a fully taught module to its students. This exposes the students to a branch of law that is very critical to the development of the country’s economy.
According to Simbarashe Chigumira, this year’s moot problem comprises wide-ranging topical issues in International Trade Law, such as the withdrawal from Free Trade Areas and the granting of Equivalence Status under the World Trade Organization’s Agreement on Sanitary and Phytosanitary Measures.
The team credited their sterling performance to their coach, Mr Zvobgo Tawanda Zvobgo of DMH Commercial Law Chambers, and to the unwavering support of their dean, Mr Victor Nkiwane.
The students are working extra-hard in preparation for the Advanced Rounds of the competition.