A Master of Laws student at the University of Limpopo (UL), Arnold Mzimba, is currently in Turin, Italy attending the United Nations Interregional Crime and Justice Research Institute’s (UNICRI) Intensive International Criminal Law Defence Seminar
Mzimba has been accepted into the Institute’s four-day (11-14 April 2022) course for practising and trainee lawyers interested in the practise of international criminal law in national or international courts, as well as professionals working with organisations involved in the practice of international criminal law.
Mzimba stated that the opportunity was only given to him, but it is not only for him, but the entire African continent stands to benefit or improve. He also stated that it comes in handy as he aspires to lead a transformed era that recognises and protects the human rights of all, particularly marginalised minorities.
“It takes him back to his law degree between 2018 and 2020 when he was introduced to Criminal Law,” Mzimba explained.
He added that the International Law Defence Seminar is an exciting opportunity for him because it would allow him to grow within and outside the legal profession, in academia, and in practice.
“It is an opportunity for growth that is fundamental to the human right to further education and development that most Southern African countries have sought to promote since the dawn of their democracies read with the inherent human right to dignity, and I will be proud to contribute meaningfully towards that greater goal,” Mzimba said.
Mzimba, who won the First Prize Award at the Faculty Research Day in 2021 with a paper titled “The Right to Social Security, Access to Justice Post-Covid 19: Safeguarding the rights of marginalised South Africans through Restorative Justice,” is on a path to becoming one of the University’s futurists in research.
Mzimba is also a recipient of the NRF Postgraduate Scholarship for 2022, which will help him pursue his LLM. He got accepted to the Intensive International Criminal Law Defence Seminar after being selected by the African Centre for Transnational Criminal Justice (ACTCJ) which invited applications for the seminar.
According to Prof Omphemetse Sibanda, Executive Dean of the Faculty of Management and Law, the university recognises and acknowledges that the course is a one-of-a-kind opportunity to gain a deep understanding of this area of law.
“The practical skills that Mzimba will gain will be immediately useful to him as a trainee lawyer and alumnus of the School of Law. It is these opportunities that the Faculty encourages its students to take advantage of to develop their practical competencies in their chosen fields of study,” Prof Sibanda stated.