LLM in Competition Law and Policy

The Competition Act, 1998 was enacted with the broad aim of promoting and maintaining competition in South Africa and to achieve the following specific objectives: (a) to promote the efficiency, adaptability and development of the economy, (b) to provide consumers with competitive prices and product choices, (c) to promote employment and advance the social and economic welfare of South Africans, (d) to expand opportunities for South African participation in world markets and recognize the role of foreign competition in the Republic, (e) to ensure that small and medium-sized enterprises have an equitable opportunity to participate in the economy, and (f) to promote a greater spread of ownership, in particular to increase the ownership stakes of historically disadvantaged persons.

Despite this Act being enacted in 1998, not many Universities are training students specifically in this area. The Department of Mercantile and Labour Law at the University of the Western Cape is responding to this need and will be offering an LLM/MPhil in this area of spesialisation from 2023. These modules will focus on the principle and policy issues involved in competition law, the relevance of social justice

in competition law within an African context, as well as cross-cutting issues between competition law and related fields, such as mergers and acquisitions, intellectual property, labour law, and information technology law.

This will consequently allow students to specialise in competition law and regulation with a choice of electives that explore these cross-cutting issues. This will place students in a unique and competitive position when entering the workplace. At the same time, it will give practitioners working in these areas the opportunity to develop new perspectives.

By exposing students to the relation between competition law and other fields of law such as intellectual property law, labour law, information and communication Technology Law, as well as mergers and acquisitions, students will have a degree that gives them an edge over the peers at other institutions, both nationally and in the Western Cape. The LLM/MPhil will further, apart from exposing students to the general principles of competition law, draw attention to the role of competition law in respect of social justice. This is of course very important in the South African context.

Modules:

• Competition Law and Regulation (available in 2023)
• Competition Regulation and Work (available in 2023)
• Mergers and Acquisitions (available in 2023)
• Competition and Information Law (available in 2023)
• Competition and Intellectual Property (available from 2024)

Prospective LLM students who still wish to join the program in 2023 have the opportunity to apply for the second semester. They can select the option of two modules and a mini-thesis to participate in the program.

For applicants planning to join in 2024, there are three options available:

Mode 1: Choose four papers and a research paper.

Mode 2: Select two modules and complete a mini-thesis.

Mode 3: Opt for a full thesis.

It is important to note that the program is fully online, and students are not required to be physically present in Cape Town. Furthermore, classes are scheduled after regular working hours or on Saturdays to accommodate students who are employed.

Contact: Dr. Tinashe Kondo – tkondo@uwc.ac.za