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.

The winners receive financial assistance towards their first year studies at any South African law school.

Format

The moot comprises of written and oral rounds. All secondary schools in South Africa are invited to send a team of two grade 10 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

University of Pretoria

The University of Pretoria is a multi campus public research university located in Pretoria, the administrative and de facto capital of South Africa...

, with the winners argueing in the final round at the Constitutional Court of South Africa

Constitutional Court of South Africa

The Constitutional Court of South Africa was established in 1994 by South Africa's first democratic constitution: the Interim Constitution of 1993. In terms of the 1996 Constitution the Constitutional Court established in 1994 continues to hold office. The court began its first sessions in February...

, Johannesburg

Johannesburg

Johannesburg also known as Jozi, Jo'burg or Egoli, is the largest city in South Africa, by population. Johannesburg is the provincial capital of Gauteng, the wealthiest province in South Africa, having the largest economy of any metropolitan region in Sub-Saharan Africa...

. In the inaugural competition 32 teams competed in the provincial rounds.

The moot court is organised and supported by the Department of Basic Education, Department of Justice and Constitutional Development

Department of Justice and Constitutional Development

The Department of Justice and Constitutional Development is the justice ministry of the South African government. The department provides administrative and financial support to the court system and the judiciary , oversees the National Prosecuting Authority, provides legal advice and...

, South African Human Rights Commission

South African Human Rights Commission

The South African Human Rights Commission was inaugurated in October 1995 as an independent national institution. It draws its mandate from the South African Constitution by way of the South African Human Rights Commission Act of 1994....

, Foundation for Human Rights, Constitutional Literacy and Service Initiative, University of Cape Town

University of Cape Town

The University of Cape Town is a public research university located in Cape Town in the Western Cape province of South Africa. UCT was founded in 1829 as the South African College, and is the oldest university in South Africa and the second oldest extant university in Africa.-History:The roots of...

, University of Pretoria Faculty of Law, University of Venda

University of Venda

The University of Venda is a South African university, located in Thohoyandou in Limpopo province.-History:It was established in 1982 to serve the inhabitants of the Venda bantustan, However, the student body at Univen never consisted of Venda students only, student from all over the Northern...

 and the University of Western Cape.

Judges

Year	Judge	Position
2011	Justice Dikgang Moseneke Dikgang Moseneke Dikgang Ernest Moseneke is the current Deputy Chief Justice of the Republic of South Africa. He was appointed to the bench in 2002 by Thabo Mbeki, and was elevated as Deputy Chief Justice in 2005 by Thabo Mbeki....  (Presiding)	Deputy Chief Justice of the Constitutional Court
	Justice Johan Froneman	Justice of the Constitutional Court
	Justice Kenneth Mthiyane	Supreme Court of Appeal Judge Acting Justice of the Constitutional Court
	Justice Zak Yacoob Zak Yacoob Zakeria "Zak" Yacoob is a judge in the Constitutional Court of South Africa. He was appointed to the bench in 1998 by Nelson Mandela.-References:...	Justice of the Constitutional Court
	Yanine Poc	Regional representative of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights in Southern Africa

Winners

Year	Winner	Runner-up
2011	King Edward VII	Hoërskool Richardsbaai

See also

• Moot court
  Moot court
  A moot court is an extracurricular activity at many law schools in which participants take part in simulated court proceedings, usually to include drafting briefs and participating in oral argument. The term derives from Anglo Saxon times, when a moot was a gathering of prominent men in a...
  
  
• List of law schools in South Africa
• World Human Rights Moot Court Competition
  World Human Rights Moot Court Competition
  The World Human Rights Moot Court Competition is a moot court competition on international human rights law. In 2009 the University of Pretoria Faculty of Law's Centre for Human Rights, with the assistance of the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, organised the...
  
  
• African Human Rights Moot Court Competition
  African Human Rights Moot Court Competition
  The African Human Rights Moot Court Competition is an international moot court competition with a special focus on human rights in Africa. The competition is organised by the Centre for Human Rights, based at the University of Pretoria Faculty of Law in South Africa. Each year, the competition is...