Two scholarships, the Ismail Mahomed Fellowship and the Franklin Thomas Fellowship, for overseas study are administered each year by the Constitutional Court Trust. Calls for applications are made in August each year; the scholarships are then tenable from the following August. Only South African law clerks and former law clerks are eligible. The university or universities at which the scholarships are tenable may vary from year to year.
How to apply
Applications should indicate the scholarship one is applying for and the year for which one wishes to be considered. Applications must be submitted by no later than 01 October each year (which is tenable the following year) and must also include as a minimum:
- a motivational cover letter;
- a full curriculum vitae;
- certified copies of academic records;
- an example of written work;
- two referees (one academic/professional and one personal) and their contact details; and
- references regarding working experience and/or any special qualifications (if any).
Applications should be emailed to Ms Elizabeth Moloto at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
Tel: +27 11 359 7444
Failure to comply with these requirements will result in the application not being considered.
Ismail Mahomed Fellowship
The Ismail Mahomed Fellowship for law clerks was established in honour of the former Chief Justice and made possible by a grant funded by a charitable organisation.
The purpose of the fellowship is to provide an opportunity for postgraduate study abroad to a South African candidate who has demonstrated a commitment to human rights and who has served as a law clerk at the Constitutional Court or Supreme Court of Appeal.
The fellowship is tenable for study towards an LLM degree at a foreign university, which is specified each year. Among the universities that have participated in this programme are Duke University, North Carolina and the University of Toronto. The fellowship covers travel, tuition and living expenses.
Franklin Thomas Fellowship
The Franklin Thomas Fellowship for Constitutional Court law clerks is a fellowship established in honour of Franklin Thomas, the former president of the Ford Foundation. The fellowship was made possible by a grant funded by friends and colleagues of Franklin Thomas on his retirement from the foundation.
The purpose of the fellowship is to provide an opportunity for postgraduate study abroad to a South African candidate, preferably from a disadvantaged background, who has served as a law clerk at the Constitutional Court.
The fellowship is tenable for study towards an LLM degree at a foreign university, which is specified each year. Universities that have participated in this programme include the University of Michigan, Duke University and the University of Illinois at Saint Louis. The fellowship covers travel, tuition and living expenses.
