Rhodes University Faculty of Law

15/09/2026

Clicking “I agree”, sharing personal data or using AI can all carry legal consequences. Rhodes University’s new ICT Law elective is helping final-year law students explore what happens when technology moves faster than regulation, while preparing them to engage with a field where many of the answers are still being written.

Rhodes University Faculty of Law

Read more: https://www.ru.ac.za/latestnews/ict_law_module-1.html

15/09/2026

The Rhodes University Faculty of Law was saddened to learn of the recent passing of Dr Tim Burrell, who was a Visiting Professor in the Faculty until around 2011.

Dr Burrell was a leading South African patent law expert and the author of several editions of Burrell – South African Patent Law and Practice, as well as the Patents and Designs entries in the Encyclopaedia of Forms and Precedents. He retired in 1998 as a senior partner of Spoor & Fisher, after 42 years with the firm.

For many years, Dr Burrell gave an annual guest lecture to our Patents class, sharing his expertise with our students.

We extend our condolences to his family, friends and colleagues at this sad time.

05/09/2026

The Penultimate LLB Moot Competition concluded on 2 September, with our finalists tackling a challenging issue involving a restraint of trade. It was a wonderful demonstration of the skill, preparation and confidence they have developed throughout the year.

Congratulations to all our finalists, including Kristi Kruyer and Julia Snowball, and especially to our winner, Sarah Wilhelmi, who was awarded the Phatsoane Henney Shield, and our runner-up, Katelyn Wijtenburg. 🏆

Thank you to all the lecturers who judged the internal rounds and, in particular, to Judge Roberson who judged the final: she kept our finalists on their toes and even delivered an ex tempore judgment for the benefit of the whole class.

Finally, our sincere thanks go to Prof Campbell for coordinating the entire competition. It is a substantial undertaking, and he managed it with his usual efficiency and care 🙌🤩

02/09/2026

28/08/2026

The Faculty is proud of some of our postgraduate students who represented the Faculty at the Rhodes Postgrad conference held from 19–21 August 2026, under the theme:

“Global Instabilities and the Role of Institutions of Higher Learning: Backwards, Forwards and the Intersectionality.”

Our students presented research on a fascinating range of contemporary legal and social issues:

🎓 Yandisa Ntunja
“What’s in a Name?”: Does South Africa’s birth registration process give adequate effect to section 28(1)(a) of the Constitution, which guarantees every child the right to a name from birth?
Supervisor: Prof Kruger

🎓 Duduzile Mthakathi
The Meaning of ‘Worker’ under South Africa’s Minimum Wage Act: Challenges of Classification in Relation to Platform-Economy Labour
Supervisor: Dr Katiyatiya

🎓 Ayabonga Ndzuse
Social Media Evidence in South African Criminal Courts: Admissibility, Constitutional Constraints and Regulatory Reform
Supervisors: Mr Somandi and Prof MG Karels

🎓 Nhlonipho Buthelezi
A Public Health Perspective on the Intentional Transmission and Exposure to HIV/AIDS in South Africa and the Sufficiency of the Common Law Response
Supervisors: Mr Somandi and Prof MG Karels

Well done to our postgraduate researchers and their supervisors! 👏🏽📚



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26/08/2026

A reminder of our public lecture this evening… we look forward to this important topic 🙌

21/08/2026

Congratulations to the LRC and to our part-time lecturer in Constitutional Law, Cecile van Schalkwyk! 👏🏽

What makes this victory particularly special is the way Cecile lives her practice — demonstrating to our students through her own work that the Constitution is not simply something we study in books, but a powerful instrument for justice and change.

What a privilege for our students to learn from someone who puts those constitutional principles into action. ⚖️❤️

The Eastern Cape Department of Education admitted in the Eastern Cape High Court in Makhanda on Wednesday that it was unlawful and unconstitutional to withhold billions of rands from public schools.

20/08/2026

Why does South Africa's Constitutional Court take a year or more to decide who it will even hear?

The Rhodes Law Faculty invites you to a forthright lecture by Visiting Professor Azhar Cachalia, retired judge and FUL Chairperson, on the crisis in the Court's functioning — and what could be done about it.

19/08/2026

Well done to our All African mootists and huge thanks to Prof Laurence Juma for accompanying them 🙏🤩

Two students, Gomolemo Neo Mashangoane and Qaphela Jasper Snandile, represented the Rhodes Law Faculty at the 35th edition of the Christoff Hyens African Human Rights Moot Court competition held in Abidjan, Ivory Coast, from July 26 to August 2, 2026. The competition brought together participants from 53 universities across the African continent to argue a hypothetical and complex human rights case before the African Human Rights Court. Although our students did not advance to the finals of the competition, they demonstrated impressive knowledge, skill, and commitment while competing against students from other universities. The participation provided an important opportunity for Neo and Jasper to test their abilities in a competitive moot environment while engaging with fellow law students from other African universities

11/08/2026

A Productive Research Morning at the Highlander

Faculty of Law staff braved the cold and rainy weather on the Public Holiday, Monday, 10 August, for a productive research morning at The Highlander.

It was a chilly but cosy morning of reading, writing and focused research, with good conversation and collegiality along the way. We wrapped up the morning with a well-deserved lunch. A great way to spend a winter’s morning!

Thank you to Profs van Coller, Glover, Kruuse and Juma; Dr Katiyatiya; Mr Ncamane and Chenga; and Ms Roux for joining us, and to Prof van Coller for organising the morning.

Here’s to making time for research, even when the weather outside is doing its best to keep us indoors!