North-West University (NWU) alumnus Prof Retselisitsoe Phooko was appointed by the South African Law Reform Commission (SALRC) as one of the assessors for the SALRC Legal Essay Writing Competition.

The competition, is dedicated to the memory of the late Chief Justice Pius Nkonzo Langa who served South Africa with dignity and distinction, and is open to all law students studying towards an LLB or LLM at a South African university.

It aims to encourage students to do critical legal writing while also generating new ideas for law reform. These ideas should be aligned to South Africa’s priorities as a developmental state and be aimed at keeping the law abreast of developments in society and in tune with the needs of South Africa’s diverse population and national policy priorities.

More about Prof Phooko

Prof Phooko was born in Matatiele in the Eastern Cape. After matriculating from Thaba-Jabula Senior Secondary School in Soweto, he obtained a diploma in human rights and an LLB degree from the NWU’s Mahikeng Campus.
 

He completed his LLM degree in international human rights law at the University of Notre Dame in the USA, and also holds an LLD degree from UNISA.
 

During his days as an NWU student, he was one of the founders of the student newspaper, The Album. He served as the chairperson of the Law Student Council from 2004 to2005, and represented the Faculty of Law at the All Africa Human Rights Moot competition in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia in 2006.

Prof Phooko is currently an associate professor in the Department of Private Law at the University of Johannesburg. He received a Y2 rating the National Research Foundation, a recognition of his contribution to the research agenda on SADC Community Law.

Prof Phooko has published over 20 academic research articles through a blind peer-reviewed process in local and international journals, and has also presented conference papers at national and international conferences.

He is an external examiner of undergraduate and postgraduate degrees at various national and international institutions. He is currently the chairperson of the board of the Comparative and International Law Journal of Southern Africa. From time to time, Prof Phooko is invited as a legal expert on SABC News to analyze topical legal matters on national television.

In addition, Prof Phooko is the current President of the Society of Law Teachers of Southern Africa, and he also serves as a volunteer board member of the Bertha Gxowa Hospital.

NWU alumnus Prof Retselisitsoe Phooko.