Law & justice

Thandeka Kathi is an attorney working with the Centre for Applied Legal Studies. She primarily works with activists, community forums and other structures in mining-affected communities, championing their civil and political rights, as well as their right to a safe and healthy environment.

She boasts several qualifications from Rhodes University and Wits University, and is currently a master’s candidate in international human rights law at the University of Oxford.

Kathi recognises that as a black woman from a working-class background in South Africa, the issues for which she advocates are issues that affect her neighbours, family and friends. She hopes her work will help amplify the voices of those she serves by shining a light on the plight of working-class communities — often ignored by the government — regarding decisions that affect their lives.

“If I do my part, and persons X,Y and Z do their part, then things will start to change.”

Tobia Serongoane’s hard work and perseverance led him to become an associate attorney at Weber Wentzel. A graduate of both the University of Johannesburg and Harvard University, Serongoane has a spectacular academic record — but it’s his professional career that has truly set him apart.

He is an associate in the company’s dispute resolution team, particularly focusing on mining and medical malpractice. In the latter, he often defends doctors.

With respect to mining, he reviews mining contracts and resolves community disputes between mines and communities. Serongoane works to square economic with social issues, to ensure the wellbeing of all stakeholders.

When it comes to advising others, he keeps it simple: “Be yourself and work hard.”

“Repeating grade eight led to me holding four qualifications. Therefore, give it your all!

Sphesihle Nxumalo is an attorney of the high court and an associate in Baker McKenzie’s Antitrust & Competition Practice Group.

His career evolved from being a law clerk and associate at Africa’s largest law firm to being signed as a law clerk to Justice Mbuyiseli Madlanga at the constitutional court and ending up at Baker McKenzie, advising and representing multinational companies on high-value transactions.

Nxumalo is a member of the International Bar Association and the Association of Competition Law Practitioners of South Africa. His expertise spans antitrust and competition law across African jurisdictions, making him a valuable law practitioner in developing a legislative framework for antitrust analysis for South Africa.

Some of his proudest work has been devising youth-centric policies and strategies for implementation towards the African Union’s Agenda 2063. The AU Youth Volunteer Corps is a flagship programme that promotes youth volunteering in Africa by uniting leaders to exchange skills, knowledge and strategies to build a more integrated, prosperous Africa, deepening youth involvement as key actors in Africa’s developmental goals.

Be tenacious without being overbearing, be realistic without being risk averse and be compromising without sacrificing.

Refilwe Ross heads the sports law department at Black-White Inc, attending to the various engagements that business and society have with sports. She led her firm’s recent appeal against the South Africa Football Association.

“I want the little black girl to see that it’s possible to not only make it in law, but to thrive,” she says.

Ross has had a storied career. Beginning in the automotive industry with a compliance role, she moved on to provide counsel for a marketing company, thereafter joining Roth Media Group before landing her current role. “The biggest mistake I made was assuming that my career would be linear. It’s been everything but linear,” the attorney remarks.

She’s learned that cultivating relationships has benefits. “I’m proud of how far I’ve come in my career,” she says. “It’s the start of my journey, not the end.”

“I felt like I failed myself when I had to make some twists and turns, but it’s all led me to where I am, and now I know it will lead to where I hope to be one day.”

Muchengeti Hwacha is a candidate attorney at Lebea Inc Attorneys, executive director of the NGO Asylum Seeker, Refugee & Migrant Coalition, and a proud father.
The 28-year-old works with his NGO to address discrimination against foreign nationals through advocacy and litigation. The organisation also contributes to public discourse on issues facing the migrant community within South Africa.
According to Hwacha, class, race and ethnicity are indicators of who becomes successful because meritocracy is a fallacy in this world of good favour and connections.
His proudest moment was when he visited the home of one of the NGO’s members to get the go-ahead to launch a case against discriminatory provisions of the Legal Practice Act. Hwacha was pleasantly overwhelmed by how the other members of his organisation trusted him to lead the cause that was so important to them and their families, and hopes to be victorious.

You do not have to reinvent the wheel. Study those who have achieved the type of success that you aspire to.

What drives Muhammed Coovadia in his work as an advocate is helping people solve their problems in a cost-effective and efficient manner.

In addition to running his own general litigation practice in Johannesburg and dealing with the various aspects of corporate law, he prides himself on providing high-quality pro bono legal services to indigent members of the community. He is driven to provide everyone with access to justice, regardless of background, socioeconomic status, culture or race.

Even after the years of hard work it took to complete his law degree, Coovadia’s mindset is still one of continuous learning: he enjoys sharpening his skills and improving his knowledge on important subjects. “No matter how much you think you know, there is always more to learn, because the law as a subject is dynamic in nature,” he says.

You have already won 50% by just showing up.

Nchafatso Pitso is a PhD candidate at the University of KwaZulu-Natal, with a focus on state capture in South Africa. Her research looks at the issue through the lenses of corruption and the shadow state, and examines the efficacy of the Zondo commission.

Pitso’s academic career also includes an honours degree in sociology from Nelson Mandela University and a master’s in industrial sociology from the University of Johannesburg. She was the youngest managing director at 20 Elevation Construction and Landscaping, a construction, waste management and logistics company.

She believes that it is critical to not let fear prevent you from taking the steps needed to achieve your goals. Having seen in the past how it has been the only obstacle between her and her success, she is determined to never let fear dampen her confidence again.

“Listen to your heart, no matter how scary it seems.”

Advocate Karabo van Heerden was admitted to the Johannesburg Society of Advocates in 2016 and has appeared in the Constitutional Court, the Supreme Court of Appeal and countless lower courts.

She trained in media law, but expanding into business and human rights law has shown her how many people she can help. She is currently challenging a mining giant’s pollution in Zambia, and if she wins, she will be assisting more than 100 000 people.

One proud moment was winning a case against the Unisa’s decision to exclude 500 students from registering. That victory meant educational institutions can be held accountable for decisions that arbitrarily limit student rights.

“Often where no laws exist, it’s my job to assist the courts to develop the law to keep up with evolving markets in both business and our ordinary lives,” Van Heerden says.

“I would like ordinary South Africans to know that injustice is something they do not need to live with.”

Pursuing her master’s in multidisciplinary human rights law at the University of Pretoria is one sign that Kabelo Sedupane is determined to accelerate social impact in South Africa. “My biggest mistake was turning down opportunities I felt unqualified for. I’ve learnt through the years that I belong in every room that I am invited to,” she says.
As a practising attorney, Sedupane provides in-house counsel for the Tshiamiso Trust, a R5-billion public benefit trust established to compensate current and former mine workers who acquired work-related tuberculosis. To date, the trust has paid more than R300-million worth of claims. Beyond this duty, Sedupane spearheaded the establishment of the legal and compliance unit that supports the business, operations and programmatic units of the Tshiamiso Trust organisation across southern Africa.
“I hope that the work that I do will result in some form of meaningful social and economic transformation for our people,” Sedupane says.

I’ve learnt to be confident in my skills and expertise, not to underestimate myself, and believe that I belong in every room that I’m invited to.

Gisard Kotelo is a candidate legal practitioner at Fasken, an international law firm. Kotelo is interested in cybersecurity law, and is currently pursuing his certification in data privacy and technology. Kotelo graduated cum laude with a bachelor of laws from Unisa, one of his proudest moments.
Despite enduring academic setbacks and financial pressure, Kotelo persisted to realise his goals of academic excellence. He’s excited about what the future holds for this relatively new profession, and wants to inspire anyone who believes that their dreams are unattainable. Motivated by “waking up with the idea that I am always going to learn something new the following day”, Kotelo refuses to be a victim of circumstance, and rather chooses to view life’s obstacles as opportunities to rise above. In a country where the pace of technological development is overtaking legal reform, Kotelo hopes to see more young lawyers succeed in contributing towards future-facing lawmaking.

While it is important to be realistic, no dream is too big to realise.

As the wildlife and law project manager of the Endangered Wildlife Trust (EWT), Ashleigh Dore strengthens the legal frameworks relating to environmental justice in South Africa. Dedicated to conservation, Dore strives for an effective criminal justice process for wildlife and other environmental offences. Her work aims to reclaim our environmental rights, and to ensure that our world is protected for generations to come.
Dore obtained her law degree from the University of Pretoria in 2011, and completed her articles of clerkship at Edward Nathan Sonnenbergs. In 2015, Dore was admitted as an attorney of the high court of South Africa, and has graduated with her master’s degree in environmental law from the University of Cape Town since then. Besides her involvement with the high-impact conservation projects instigated through the EWT, Dore’s proudest moment was serving on an advisory committee for the minister of forestry, fisheries and the environment.

I have always endeavoured to be honest with myself, taking guidance from my mentors but trusting in my own decisions.