2020 Yunus Mohomed Public Interest Award National Winner

The Pretoria Student Law Review (PSLR) is proud to announce and congratulate final year law student, Nicholas Herd who was unanimously chosen the national winner of the 2020 Yunus Mahomed Public Interest Award – Law / Business / Ethics National Prize.

In her congratulatory letter to Herd, Judge Dhaya Pillay, Founder of the Yunus Mahomed Public Interest Award writes that ‘I am delighted to inform you that you win with your article ‘Should the flag fit, or must we acquit?’ published in (2019) 13 Pretoria Student Law Review (PSLR) 130, a peer reviewed journal.  Drawing the line between hate speech and freedom of expression is topical and will remain so for many years as our constitutional democracy matures.’

During a virtual function planned for November 2020 by Kagiso Capital (Pty) Ltd, Herd will receive an award as national winner, consisting of a cash prize and certificate.  Herd was also invited by Judge Pillay to lead a debate based on his article during this function.  The function is organised by the sponsors, Kagiso Capital (Pty) Ltd and Kagiso Trust, of which Yunus Mahomed was a founding Trustee.  

Herd’s accomplishments inter alia include that he has been a member of a number of winning national and international mooting teams representing UP Law.  He is the 2019/20 Chief Justice of the UP Constitutional Tribunal and member of the Editorial Board of the PSLR. 

Dean of the Faculty of Law, Professor Elsabe Schoeman, congratulated Herd on his achievement, and added that he 'portrays distinct and evident promise of outstanding achievement in his career and life - We are so happy for you and you have done our Law Faculty proud.'

Editor-in-Chief of the PSLR, Simon Motshweni, congratulated Herd and stated that this achievement is both an achievement to Herd and the PSLR which facilitated the publication of the article and the award thereof. Moreso, it upholds the esteemed integrity of the PSLR as the best authors produced by the publication return to serve in the Editorial Board. 

Established in 2013, the Yunus Mahomed Public Interest Award for published articles on Public Interest Law and Business Ethics strives to encourage students to study and practice law in a manner that promotes the advancement of the public interest, transparency and accountability, to cultivate and entrench democracy and best practices. 

Herd's receipt of this award is the first in the history of the PSLR's published articles.