The Law Faculty on the Mahikeng Campus of the North-West University (NWU) recently hosted a symposium at the campus multi-purpose student centre. The well-attended event saw second-year LLB students go against the final fourth-year students on the topic “The legacy of legal positivism and constitutional supremacy in South Africa”.

The symposium aims to educate students on topical legal issues and to create a sense of consciousness among students about socio-political issues in and around their environment.

Coordinated by Prof Freddy Khunou, the law symposium is an annual event on the Law Faculty calendar. This year the second-year team was led by Ms Maphangela, and the fourth-year team by Mr Maja.

 “The symposium not only aims to create a vibrant exchange of ideas and intellectual vigor between participants, but also allows law students to gain practical experience in public speaking, clarity of thought and articulation. These are skills critical to any budding lawyer and must be honed and sharpened at tertiary level so that they will be able to excel in the workplace,” says Prof Khunou.

“For us as law students, this type of event encourages us not only because it speaks to the conduct and nature of the legal profession, but also because it allows us to engage with one another and gain different perspectives on how the theory applies in practice,” adds second-year team participant, Leo Maphosa.

Prof Freddy Khunou is the coordinator of the annual Law Faculty symposium on the NWU’s Mahikeng Campus.