Jordi addresses Annual Conference of the African Society of Forensic Medicine
- Wits University
Prof. Peter Jordi of the WITS LAW CLINIC presented the keynote address at the 12th Annual Conference of the African Society of Forensic Medicine.
Prof. Peter Jordi's address tackled Human Rights and Torture from a lawyer's perspective.He spoke of his experience as a plaintiff’s attorney litigating against the Minister of Police for damages as a result of police misconduct involving torture; wrongful arrest and detention.
Jordi is a Practising Attorney and runs the Criminal Law and Delict Unit at the WITS LAW CLINIC. Hehasover 30 years of experience in these matters and has settled millions of rand in damages on behalf of his clients. His address dealt with the principle mechanisms of torture favoured by the police, such as suffocation; electric shock and blunt force trauma. He advised the forensic pathologists at the conference of common errors made by doctors when examining victims of torture. He said that better medical reports increase the chances of plaintiffs succeeding in their damages claims.
Jordi also chaired several sessions at the conference.
We look forward to hosting this year's Wits Law Conference on 28 and 29 October 2026
The School of Law is pleased to announce the next iteration of the Wits Law conference. Wits Law 2026 will take place on 28 and 29 October 2026. This biennial gathering of academics, practitioners, and alumni aims to connect the Law School with the world beyond.
Previous conferences have featured a wide range of workshops, panels, and exhibitions – from a discussion on legal writing, to a conference session on fisheries subsidies, to an exhibition on the apartheid security police’s disappearance of Nokuthula Simelane.
This year, we hope to attract a similarly diverse range of contributions, and we would be delighted to work with you in developing an engaging session suited to the ideas and themes you wish to explore.
To submit a proposal for a panel or paper, please use the form below.
If you have any questions, please feel free to contact:
Join us for Prof Malebakeng Forere's inaugural lecture on 21 July 2026
Prof Malebakeng Forere will deliver her inaugural lecture as a full professor, entitled “Is fair use constitutional?” exploring the Constitutional Court’s findings on copyright law.
RSVP using the form below.
Wits Law Clinic vacancies
- Lee-Anne Gaertner
The Wits Law Clinic invites applications for two positions to manage the delict and labour law units and supervise final year students
The University of the Witwatersrand Law Clinic is a leading teaching and pro bono law clinic based in the School of Law. The Law Clinic has been operating for over 50 years and is presently the largest South African law clinic. The clinic offers a range of legal services to clients who would not normally be able to afford the services of lawyers and is well known for its litigation in private and public law. The main focus of the Law Clinic is clinical legal education, where Wits law students provide legal services to actual clients, under the supervision of legal practitioners.
Brief post description:
The successful candidates will be expected to supervise Wits law students in assisting clients, manage the delict and labour law units of the Wits Law Clinic and actively contribute to the Wits School of Law as a practising attorney and academic in the Wits School of Law.
Key responsibilities include the following:
The lecturing of unit-based topics in the final year LLB course, Practical Legal Studies, including developing and moderating assessments, lecturing in courses offered in the Wits School of Law and undertaking research supervision in the Wits School of Law;
The supervision of students in the professional management of client matters and files;
The management of the professional and administrative functions of the respective unit;
Attending to court appearances on behalf of the Wits Law Clinic clients ;
The hiring, training, and supervision of candidate legal practitioners; and
Contributing to the research output of the Wits Law Clinic.
Qualifications:
The successful candidate:
Must be enrolled on the practicing roll of the Legal Practice Council as an Attorney of the High Court; and
Have a track record as a competent practitioner in the fields of either delict or labour law.
And
For Associate Professor:
Must have a PhD, and reputation as a legal clinician;
Substantial body of research, track record of teaching and postgraduate supervision, distinguished in clinical legal education; and
At least ten years post-admission practising experience.
Or
For Adjunct Professor:
Must have a PhD, or alternatively, a national or international reputation as a legal clinician;
Be distinguished in clinical legal education, with distinction in teaching; and,
At least ten years post-admission practising experience.
Or
For Senior Lecturer:
LLM degree or relevant Masters level qualification and working towards a PhD, or already possess a PhD;
At least six years post-admission practising experience;
Recognised contribution to clinical legal education; and,
Evidence of research.
Or
For Lecturer:
Must have an LLM degree, or a relevant Masters level qualification;
At least three years post-admission practicing experience; and,
Teaching experience is preferred but is not essential.
Remuneration:
Negotiable in accordance with qualifications, experience, and the University’s existing policies.
To apply:
Please register your profile on the Wits i-Recruitment platform located at Vacancies - Wits University and submit a covering letter together with a CV that includes the names of three contactable referees.
Individuals from previously disadvantaged population groups are encouraged to apply.
Preference will be given to appointable applicants from the underrepresented designated groups in terms of the relevant employment equity plans and policies of the University.
The University retains the right to verify all information provided by candidates. Should you not receive a reply within two weeks of the closing date, please consider your application unsuccessful.
The University reserves the right not to make an appointment or to re-advertise.
Closing date: 31 July 2026
John H. Jackson Moot Court Competition report
- Mxolisi Ngulube
We send our congratulations to the team of law students who made it to the quarter finals of this year's John H. Jackson Moot Court Competition in Geneva
The Wits School of Law participated in the final rounds of the John H. Jackson Moot Court Competition from 23rd to 28th June 2026. This prestigious event, organised by the European Law 足球竞彩app排名s’ Association in partnership with the World Trade Organization (WTO), was held in Geneva, Switzerland.
The competition simulates WTO dispute settlement hearings, requiring both written submissions and oral advocacy on complex international trade law issues. The format comprises two stages:
Regional rounds conducted across each continent, and
A culminating final round in Geneva.
In April 2026, the African regional round took place in Yaoundé, Cameroon. The Wits School of Law team distinguished itself by winning the prize for best written submissions for the complainant, and qualifying for the final round in Geneva.
The Geneva stage assembled the top 24 teams globally, including participants from Harvard University, George University, KU Leuven, Sorbonne University, and others. In the twelve years since the Wits School of Law began entering this competition, none of its teams had advanced beyond the preliminary rounds in Geneva. This year, however, the team made history by:
Placing 4th out of 24 teams in the preliminary rounds
Progressing to the quarterfinals for the first time
Outperforming the runner-up of the African regional round
Although the team narrowly missed a place in the semi-final, their performance in the quarterfinals was highly commended by the judges, who praised their mastery of both the case and relevant law. Notably, the championship was won by another African team, the University of Nairobi.
The Wits team was coached by Mr Mxolisi Ngulube, a specialist in international trade law and an alumnus of the John H. Jackson Moot Court Competition himself. Mr Ngulube was previously a member of the Wits team that finished second in the African regional round of the 2015/16 competition.
We send our congratulations to the following team members:
