Farewell to Dean of the Faculty of Law

Dear colleagues and students

It is with heartfelt gratitude that I write to bid farewell to Professor Danwood Mzikenge Chirwa, Dean of the University of Cape Town’s (UCT) Faculty of Law, who will be vacating his position on 31 December 2025. Professor Chirwa was appointed Dean of the Faculty of Law on 1 January 2019, the year the faculty celebrated 160 years of shaping legal minds.

I thank Professor Chirwa for the role he has played in contributing to make the Faculty of Law what it is today – one of the renowned schools of law in the continent and the world.

Apart from stewarding the faculty successfully through the challenging era of the COVID-19 pandemic, Professor Chirwa has been instrumental in the realisation of key highlights, for which we are highly grateful, during his tenure at the faculty. He was part of initiating two new academic focus areas, namely Law & Technology (the Centre for Law & Technology was established in 2019); and Banking and Finance Law.

Professor Chirwa has overseen the retirement of a whole layer of senior professorial staff while stewarding in a great cohort of energetic young academics and early career researchers, in keeping with UCT Law's reputation for excellence. The faculty's National Research Foundation’s (NRF) ratings in terms of number and rank improved even with the loss of senior staff. Professor Chirwa himself was rated B1 in 2024. Many younger academics received strong recognition during his tenure with four young faculty academics receiving College of Fellows Young Researcher Awards. Two academics have been admitted to the College of Fellows during this period. Both SARChI Chairs in the faculty – Intellectual Property, Innovation and Development; and Mineral Law in Africa – were renewed.

In 2024, Professor Chirwa initiated the first big faculty conference planned to take place every two years. The theme for this first-of-many was Artificial Intelligence and Law, a topic currently at the front edge of legal challenges across the globe. He also oversaw the successful hosting of the Christof Heyns African Human Rights Moot Court Competition for the first time at UCT. In its 34th year, this moot competition had over 70 universities from across the continent participate in an intensive one-week competition.

In the spirit of transformation, Chirwa oversaw the naming of faculty spaces in recognition of South African legal legends, namely Chief Justice Pius Langa, Victoria Mxenge, and Bram Fischer.

At a financial level, he has overseen the increase in annual faculty donor-funding LLB scholarship awards from just under R500 000 in 2018 to more than R2,2million in 2025. In addition, he has managed to secure for three years in a row, just under R1 million to assist with student fee debt to ensure that academically eligible students are able to re-register for their next academic year.

The faculty signed MoUs with Notre Dame University Law School, the Permanent Court of Arbitration in The Hague, and with the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR). The faculty also celebrated the 60th birthday of the Brand van Zyl Law Library, marked with a special event and the installation of a permanent exhibition at the entrance to the Library about its history and legacy.

I express, on behalf of the university community, my heartfelt appreciation and gratitude to Professor Chirwa for his contributions and leadership in steering the Faculty of Law to greater heights. Please join me in wishing Professor Chirwa well for his future endeavours.

Sincerely

Professor Mosa Moshabela
Vice-Chancellor

Read previous communications:

• From the UCT Executive
• Campus Announcements