Symposium explores how South Africa navigates global agreements

By Gofaone Motsamai

Law students have a role to play in critically evaluating international institutions, including the United Nations and its Security Council.

This is according to diplomats and legal experts who spoke at a seminar on the development and conclusion of international agreements, hosted by…

NWU academic weighs in on Constitutional Court ruling on surname laws

The Constitutional Court’s recent decision in Jordaan and Others v Minister of Home Affairs has reshaped how South Africans approach surname changes after marriage. The judgment declared sections of the Births and Deaths Registration Act unconstitutional for restricting surname changes to women, finding that the provisions reinforced outdated…

Cities struggle to deliver on South Africa’s constitutional promise of social justice

Three decades into democracy, South Africa’s cities remain central to the country’s pursuit of social justice but continue to fall short. That was the message from Prof Oliver Fuo, SARChI Chair in Cities, Law and Environmental Sustainability (CLES), during his inaugural lecture on 4 September at the North-West University’s (NWU’s) Potchefstroom…

Academic contributes to UN Human Rights Council discussions on children’s rights

Prof Klaus Beiter from the Faculty of Law at the North-West University (NWU) participated in the intergovernmental working group of the United Nations Human Rights Council in Geneva from 1 to 3 September 2025.

During this time the working group evaluated proposals for a fourth Optional Protocol to the Convention on the Rights of the…

New book shines light on commercial law and contemporary issues

A timely new academic publication has joined South Africa’s shelves of legal scholarship. Commercial Law and Related Issues: A Review of Contemporary Legal Issues and Regulatory Development in South Africa and Selected Jurisdictions, published by Juta, was officially launched during a recent legal research conference at the Potchefstroom Campus…

Professor to address UN panel on education rights

The United Nations Human Rights Council will hear next week from international legal experts, including the North-West University’s (NWU’s) Prof Klaus D Beiter, on whether a new protocol should guarantee children free early childhood care and secondary education.

“This process is about identifying whether existing international law…

Third-year law team wins their first-ever mock trials

A dedicated team of third-year law students from the North-West University (NWU), representing the NWU team, won their first-ever annual Juta Mock Trials competition. The NWU team, consisting of members across all three campuses of the NWU, argued for the state in the final round of the competition against the Potchefstroom second-year law team…

Law students receive practical training at Mahikeng Magistrate’s Court

Stepping out of the classroom and into the courtroom, final-year law students from the North-West University’s (NWU’s) Mahikeng Campus gained first-hand experience of the South African justice system at work. This is one of the ways the university is exploring to integrate practical training into the curriculum.

After their two-week…

Law Faculty inspires Grade 12s at Mandela Day outreach

By Gofaone Motsamai

South Africa’s beloved Madiba was a member of the law fraternity, so it was fitting that in honour of Mandela Day, law students and lecturers from North-West University (NWU) engaged with Grade 12 learners on the role of law in society.

On 28 July 2025, the Faculty of Law at the NWU’s…

Study examines legal frameworks for just energy transition in SA and Zimbabwe

While coal continues to dominate the energy mix of both South Africa and Zimbabwe, the two countries have begun introducing legal frameworks that signal a shift. The question that North-West University (NWU) researcher Tariro Mary Tingini set out to answer is: How ready from a legal and policy perspective are South Africa and Zimbabwe to make…