Director

Professor Fatima Khan

 

Professor Fatima Khan is Director of the Refugee Rights Unit. She also is admitted as attorney of the High Court of South Africa.

Professor Khan is the course coordinator of three courses - Refugee and Immigration Law (a final level LLB course | PBL 4506F), Public Interest Litigation (a final level LLB course | PBL 4111 S), as well as Refugee Law and Human Rights (PBL 5653F), a master’s level course for LLM and MPhil students.

Professor Khan has completed her BA, HDE, LLB, LLM (University of Cape Town) and achieved her PhD in December 2017, also from UCT, for which she wrote a critique on South Africa’s legal regime for refugees in protracted situations. She has also has co-authored and edited two books on refugee and immigration law. She has published extensively both within South Africa and internationally. For a list of publications please see Prof Khan's extended profile on the Department of Public Law site.

Attorneys

Monique Schoeman

 

Head of Strategic Litigation and Supervising Attorney

Monique Schoeman joined the Refugee Rights Unit in 2011 and is an attorney of the High Court of South Africa. She is a senior supervising attorney, primarily working with the Unit’s strategic litigation. Monique has an LLB from the University of Western Cape, and completed her PGDip in Tax Law at the University of Cape Town. She has previously worked at the University of the Western Cape Law Clinic for two and a half years.

Shazia Sader

 

Head of the Detention Intervention Programme and supervising attorney 

Shazia Sader is an attorney of the High Court of South Africa. She is a supervising attorney and currently leading the Unit in its detention intervention programme. She obtained an LLB (summa cum laude) from the University of the Western Cape and is currently completing an LLM (Human Rights Law) at the University of Cape Town.

Legal Assistants

Niall Marinus

 

Niall Marinus is a legal assistant at the Refugee Rights Unit, having completed his articles of clerkship at the RRU in 2022. He completed his Bachelor of Social Sciences (Politics and International Relations), LLB and LLM (International Trade Law) at the University of Cape Town (UCT). His career interests include a focus on the intersection of asylum and migration, co-operation, integration, and international trade in refugee-producing countries, specifically in Africa. Most importantly he would like to see the absolute and unequivocal liberation of our continent in his lifetime. 

Candidate Attorneys

Thandizo Chigona

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Thandizo Chigona is a candidate attorney at the UCT Refugee Rights Law Clinic. He completed his BA in History and Law as well as his LLB at the University of Cape Town. He is currently pursuing his LLM studies at the University of Cape Town. 

Robin Titus

Robin Titus joined the Refugee Rights Unit as a candidate attorney in 2022. He completed his Bachelor of Laws (LLB) at the University of the Western Cape in 2020. He is currently an LLM candidate completing his Masters in Public Law, majoring in Constitutional Law and Administrative Law.

Britney Pillay

Britney Pillay is a candidate attorney at the Refugee Rights Unit.  In 2021 she completed her Bachelor of Laws (LLB) at the University of Cape Town.