The Pius Langa Memorial Fellowship has been established in 2021 in honour of Chief Justice Pius Langa (1938 - 2013). Langa was a pivotal architect of transformative constitutionalism, using landmark judgments to embed human‑rights protections, equality and democratic participation into the nation’s legal fabric. The Pius Langa Memorial Fellowship at UCL honours his legacy by supporting emerging constitutional lawyers who aspire to continue that work—leveraging the law as a tool for profound social change. By bearing his name, the fellowship signals a commitment to nurturing the next generation of jurists dedicated to advancing the same visionary, rights‑focused jurisprudence that Langa championed.

The purpose of this fellowship is to provide an opportunity for an exceptional early career African lawyer who has clerked at the Constitutional Court of South Africa, or worked at a South African NGO on a legal programme focused on constitutional and human rights law, to study at University College London (UCL) in the United Kingdom towards a one-year graduate programme leading to a Masters of Law (LLM) degree.

The fellowship is funded by monies managed by the UK-registered charity, the South African Constitutional Court Trust (UK), with a full tuition waiver generously provided by UCL Laws.

The fourth Pius Langa Memorial Fellow, Catherine Marcus, is undertaking LLM studies at UCL in 2025 / 2026 academic year.