Online Reporter
Patrick Chitumba, Midlands Bureau
MIDLANDS State University (MSU) has successfully defended its Nelson Mandela World Human Rights Moot Court Competition title after defeating more than 100 universities from across the globe to win the prestigious international contest for the second consecutive year.
The university’s Faculty of Law students, Prince Tinokunda Mafigu and Ruth Fadzai Jokonya, retained the championship after emerging victorious at the 18th edition of the competition, held at the Palais des Nations in Geneva, Switzerland.
Organised by the University of Pretoria’s Centre for Human Rights in partnership with the United Nations Human Rights Office and the African Commission on Human and Peoples’ Rights, the recent annual competition promotes the study and application of international human rights law through simulated court proceedings based on a fictional case.
In the final, MSU defeated Kenya’s Strathmore University in an all-African showdown to secure its second successive world title, having also won the competition in 2025.
Confirming the achievement, MSU acting Vice-Chancellor, Dr Gift Manyatera, hailed the victory as a testimony of the university’s academic excellence and the quality of legal education in Zimbabwe.
“The Midlands State University Faculty of Law has once again won the prestigious 18th Nelson Mandela World Human Rights Moot Court Competition concluded at the Palais des Nations in Geneva, Switzerland, on July 17, 2026,” he said.
“The team, represented by Prince Tinokunda Mafigu and Ruth Fadzai Jokonya and coached by Claudios Makwara, emerged winners for the second successive year after winning the competition in 2025.”
Dr Manyatera said the latest triumph marked only the fourth time that an African university had won the competition, with Strathmore University of Kenya having claimed the title in 2020 and 2021 before MSU’s back-to-back victories in 2025 and 2026.
“Midlands State University has now joined the elite institutions that have won the competition, following victories in 2025 and 2026. The event saw MSU students outshine competitors from across the globe,” he said.
Dr Manyatera said this year’s competition attracted 122 university teams from around the world, with only 50 qualifying for the virtual rounds held in May.
A further 24 teams advanced to the finals in Geneva, where MSU ultimately emerged champions ahead of Strathmore University, which finished as runners-up.
Dr Manyatera said the achievement reflects the growing strength of legal education in Zimbabwe and Africa, while buttressing the country’s standing on the global academic stage.
“The latest success further enhances Zimbabwe’s growing reputation for academic excellence and its ability to compete with leading universities on the global stage,” he said.
The victory adds to a series of international achievements by Zimbabwean universities and underlines the impact of the Government’s drive to strengthen higher and tertiary education through innovation, research and international competitiveness under the Education 5.0 model.
