Sisters In Conversation

Lerato Thahane is a Partner at leading African law firm, Bowman Gilfillan Inc. She practices in the Corporate Department of her firm, specialising in Mergers and Acquisitions. She has advised private and public companies on a number of domestic and cross border acquisitions and disposals, empowerment transactions, general corporate matters, commercial matters, group restructurings and unbundling of shareholdings.

She has many years of experience working on significant, and at times high profile, in and out bound transactions in various countries in Africa and in Europe. A number of her transactions have been in the mining, manufacturing, energy and oil and gas sectors.

Lerato joined Bowmans in 2011. Between 2018 and 2019 she practiced at the Munich office of international law firm, Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer where she advised on both mergers and acquisitions and private equity transactions.

Lerato holds an LLB degree and a Certificate in Advanced Company Law from the University of the Witwatersrand. She also has a Notarial Practice and Conveyancing Certificate from the Centre for Conveyancing Practice.

Tune in to hear about how Lerato navigates the legal profession and has negotiated her meteoric success at Bowmans as a black woman operating in a space where very few women (…and even fewer women of colour) operate.

 

NB: Don’t forget to rate and review the show.

Remember to always use your voice and your resources to amplify the issues which matter. In South Africa a black woman is has an equal chance at securing employment as she does being murdered by her intimate partner. This cannot be our narrative and it is important to speak out about injustices against women. It is also important that if you are a victim of GBV that you gather the strength to see to it that your abuser is brought to book.

Reach out to Sonke Gender Justice: To report an incident of sexual harassment, bullying, abuse or any other form of harassment experienced, seen or heard about, or an incident of fraud, corruption or bribery:

CALL the toll-free whistleblower hotline: 0800 333 059

SMS: 33490

EMAIL: [email protected]

Safura Abdool Karim is a public health lawyer and senior researcher at the SAMRC Centre for Health Economics and Decision Science (PRICELESS SA), Wits School of Public Health. Safura completed her LLB at the University of Cape Town and thereafter did her LLM in Global Health Law at Georgetown University. She is currently pursuing her PhD in Law at the University of KwaZulu-Natal on constitutional rights and non-communicable diseases.  

 

Prior to joining PRICELESS SA, Safura completed her articles at a major corporate firm, acted as a public defender and clerked for Justice Leona Theron at the Constitutional Court of South Africa.  Safura has also worked at notable health law organisations such as the Campaign for Tobacco Free Kids and the O’Neill Institute as well as being the first legal journalist at GroundUp. Her work at PRICELESS SA focuses on prevention and control of non-communicable diseases as well as using the law to improve health outcomes more broadly. She is also a 2020 Aspen New Voices Fellow.

 

Tune in to hear about Safura’s most challenging experiences in her journey as a legal professional.

Tag us on Instagram @safsaksa @sister_in_law_

Remember to always use your voice and your resources to amplify the issues which matter. In South Africa a black woman is has an equal chance at securing employment as she does being murdered by her intimate partner. This cannot be our narrative and it is important to speak out about injustices against women. It is also important that if you are a victim of GBV that you gather the strength to see to it that your abuser is brought to book.

Reach out to Sonke Gender Justice: To report an incident of sexual harassment, bullying, abuse or any other form of harassment experienced, seen or heard about, or an incident of fraud, corruption or bribery:

CALL the toll-free whistleblower hotline: 0800 333 059

SMS: 33490

EMAIL: [email protected]

PS: please be patient with the sound - technology let us down and re-recording would have tampered with the organic nature of the interview.

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Seadimo Tlale is a 26 year old justice innovator who hails from Thabang township in the Free State. She has merged her background in law and media to advocate for social justice with a focus on intersectionality.

Her story starts with chess. At the age of 3 her mother taught her how to play chess and at age 11 Seadimo started to play chess professionally. In 2008 she and her sister were the first Black girls to represent South Africa at the World Youth Chess Championships which were held in Vietnam. At 16, she founded a club to academically empower primary school learners in township schools through chess.

In Matric she was awarded the Allan Gray Orbis Foundation Fellowship to study an LLB at Wits University. While at Wits she got involved in TV. She was on One Day Leader, and Future Leaders which were both concerned with inspiring youth leadership as the primary response to social ills in different communities across the country. She also co- hosted a talk show called Rise, a Soul City Institute intervention to influence a change in behavior patterns in young women who are most vulnerable to new HIV infections, through critical conversation.

During #FeesMustFall, she was in the legal commission and became the first applicant in the interdict case against Wits and the Minister of Higher Education.

After graduating cum laude, in 2017, she worked as a law researcher to Justice Froneman at the Constitutional Court for 18 months. Thereafter, she started an entrepreneurship education company to empower young people with entrepreneurship skills in response to the injustice that results when many young people who leave high school are unable to get into university, find jobs, or deal with the effects of 4IR.

Seadimo has been admitted to the LLM programme at the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) for the 2020-21 academic year and awarded the Sonke Health and Human Rights Fellowhsip. Her LLM will be in Public Interest Law specialising in Critical Race Studies.

Upon graduation she will return to South Africa to start a career as a public interest lawyer, working in the areas of human rights and gender equality.

During this pandemic, Seadimo and her partner have been selling fabric masks and using the proceeds to provide masks to the under privileged.

Tune in to hear about Seadimo’s extremely colourful and scenic experience in the legal profession and empowering stories from her time in university.

Tag us on Instagram @seadimotlale @sister_in_law_

Remember to always use your voice and your resources to amplify the issues which matter. In South Africa a black woman is has an equal chance at securing employment as she does being murdered by her intimate partner. This cannot be our narrative and it is important to speak out about injustices against women. It is also important that if you are a victim of GBV that you gather the strength to see to it that your abuser is brought to book.

Reach out to Sonke Gender Justice: To report an incident of sexual harassment, bullying, abuse or any other form of harassment experienced, seen or heard about, or an incident of fraud, corruption or bribery:

CALL the toll-free whistleblower hotline: 0800 333 059

SMS: 33490

EMAIL: [email protected]

Ayanda Vana is the Chief Operating Officer at KHULA App a tech startup which is a fast-growing B2B e-commerce marketplace for farmers in Africa. Ayanda obtained her Bachelor of Social Science and LLB from Rhodes University, thereafter she completed her articles at a law firm. She is currently reading for her Masters in Law at the University of the Witwatersrand.

In Grade 11, Ayanda co-founded an initiative ClayPots Youth Against Social Injustices which tackled social injustices in society. Ayanda has spent her days working with organisations which aim to tackle issues faced by the youth and women. In 2016, Ayanda co-founded a student carpooling app known as Ubuntu Ride.

Her personal mission statement is: To unlock, foster and cultivate structural development in Africa through her passion for innovation, leadership and women empowerment.

Tag us on Instagram @ayanda_vana @sister_in_law_

NB: Don’t forget to rate and review the show.

Your feedback is important to me, please send all feedback and (guest) suggestions to [email protected]

The same email can also be used to book consultations, request collaborations or paid partnership on the podcast or to advertise your business in the Sister In Law newsletter.

To be added to the Sister In Law newsletter mailing list visit https://linktr.ee/tebellomotshwane

Level 3 rules are slightly more relaxed, however it is still up to each and everyone of us to continue being deliberate about flattening the curve. By staying at home as much as you can you protect yourself from contracting COVID19 and you also protect your loved ones. Stay home, stay safe, avoid hosting social get togethers.

Thembi Mpungose-Niklas is a legal practitioner currently employed as Head of Synchronisation Licensing (Africa) and Legal Manager (Nigeria) at Universal Music Group (Africa), where she manages a division that licenses music and related works to various brands/companies all across Africa, with the main focus territories being South Africa and Nigeria. She also works as a legal and business affairs manager working with local legal counsel in Nigeria on all legal matters. Her work is at its basis related to intellectual property rights with her main area of expertise being copyright.

After finishing her studies, Thembi joined a family owned law firm, where she served articles and moved on to work in various legal divisions as a compliance analyst, BARCLAYS (ABSA) being one such corporation, before joining a leading intellectual property firm which is what then led her to the music industry. Among other things she has had the opportunity to work on projects like Black Panther (the Movie), licensing and showcasing South African music and currently works with various notable brands like Netflix, licensing music and related works on behalf of Universal Music Africa.

Tune in to hear about how Thembi literally built her own table in a company which had no seat at the table for the specific work she was doing.

Tag us on Instagram @frau_niklas @sister_in_law_

NB: Don’t forget to rate and review the show.

Your feedback is important to me, please send all feedback and (guest) suggestions to [email protected]

The same email can also be used to book consultations, request collaborations or paid partnership on the podcast or to advertise your business in the Sister In Law newsletter.

To be added to the Sister In Law newsletter mailing list visit https://linktr.ee/tebellomotshwane

Level 3 rules are slightly more relaxed, however it is still up to each and everyone of us to continue being deliberate about flattening the curve. By staying at home as much as you can you protect yourself from contracting COVID19 and you also protect your loved ones. Stay home, stay safe.

Nako Bo Tebele Esq. is a practicing Attorney, Conveyancer and Notary Public of the Courts of Botswana. She graduated from the University of Botswana in October 2016 and joined Ramalepa Attorneys to date.

Nako is a born leader, her duties as both the Practice Manager and a Senior Attorney with the Firm are fulfilled effortlessly. She is a strong debt collection attorney and leads the division in the Firm.

She also sits on a number of boards as a company secretary and advices on corporate governance.

Nako forms part of the business development team and always strives for ways of expanding business.

Currently she runs her flower arrangement company, Flovers, as a florist and puts a smile on people’s faces with the work of her hands for which she qualified from Sandy’s Floral Academy in Johannesburg, South Africa.

Tune in to hear about Nako’s journey in the legal profession and how she also applauds men who are deliberate about advancing women’s careers in the profession.

Tag us on Instagram @nako_tebele @sister_in_law_

NB: Don’t forget to rate and review the show.

Your feedback is important to me, please send all feedback and (guest) suggestions to [email protected]

The same email can also be used to book consultations, request collaborations or paid partnership on the podcast or to advertise your business in the Sister In Law newsletter.

To be added to the Sister In Law newsletter mailing list visit https://linktr.ee/tebellomotshwane

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Wela Mlokoti was born and grew up in Mthatha in the Eastern Cape. Her family moved to Bloemfontein when she was in Grade 10 and she completed the remainder of her high school education at Eunice Girls School, the top maths and science school in the Free State at the time. Wela has an LLB from the University of Cape Town which she received on a full bursary from the Free State provincial government for attaining 7 distinctions in her matric year.

In 2013, the International Academy of Matrimonial Lawyers awarded Wela an internship at the Kolodny Law Group in Beverly Hills, California after Wela wrote a winning essay on surrogacy law. That year, Wela was one of only 4 students selected from each of UCT, UWC and Stellenbosch to participate in the Cape Bar Exposure Program. The Cape Bar Exposure Program was designed to familiarize students with the Cape Town bar and it was there that Wela solidified her desire to ultimately become an advocate.

In her penultimate year, the recruiters at ENSAfrica (Africa’s largest law firm) invited Wela to interview for articles of clerkship and consequently offered her a contract to commence her articles after graduation. In her final year, Wela received a coveted clerkship at the Constitutional Court. She then deferred her articles for a year and worked in Justice Chris Jafta’s chambers for the period 2015/2016. Wela was then admitted to Duke Law School to read for her LLM and was awarded the Judy Horowitz Scholarship by the school in 2016, as well as receiving a scholarship from the Oppenheimer Trust. She was awarded her LLM degree in May 2017 and returned to South Africa to clerk again at the Constitutional Court for the remainder of the year.

Having deferred the commencement date for two years, Wela then went on to serve her articles at ENSAfrica. She is a published writer, and has written articles on a variety of issues ranging from cyber security to privacy rights. When she isn’t sharing valuable tips for law students using her social media platforms, Wela can be found blogging about natural hair or breaking a sweat on the squash court. Wela is also an avid runner, having run the 2 Oceans Half Marathon six times.

Tune in to hear about Wela’s extremely colourful and scenic route through her career in the legal profession.

Tag us on Instagram @official_nomazeezee

NB: Don’t forget to rate and review the show.

Your feedback is important to me, please send all feedback and (guest) suggestions to [email protected]

The same email can also be used to book consultations, request collaborations or paid partnership on the podcast or to advertise your business in the Sister In Law newsletter.

To be added to the Sister In Law newsletter mailing list visit https://linktr.ee/tebellomotshwane

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The “BECOMING” series is inspired by Michelle Obama’s memoir. In the memoir, Michelle gives us an honest and authentic account of her life unplugged.

While I am of the view that we can all relate to Michelle’s story, I thought it would be important to have a Becoming series where South African women share their stories. The aim is to give girls and women hope by sharing our unique stories and by opening up about our trauma’s and successes. I hope this series will leave us all feeling inspired to be the best version of ourselves and will also empower us to make changes within our own lives so that we gain the confidence to change our homes, our communities and our country.

On this episode I speak to Mpumi who gave us an honest account about her upbringing. She lets us in on how her father walked out on their family when she was just 9 months old and how her mom who only attended school until grade 5 struggled to raise her and her siblings. Mpumi also speaks about the challenges of being stuck in a career she knew was not meant for her and how she eventually managed to turn her situation around by answering to her God given purpose. Today Mpumi is the founder of the Purpose Practitioners Club and she is a Purpose Alignment Strategist - this is the title which has given her her power and made her the woman she is today.

Tune in to hear her story. Mpumi’s podcast can be found under “Purpose Practitioners Club” on all major podcast platforms.

Tag us on Instagram @mpumikmbonane @bellz_motshwane

“Your story which may seem like nothing to you, which seems ordinary, is YOUR POWER”

- Michelle Obama

Zama Shoba is an Associate Designate at a boutique law firm in Sandton. Before commencing her articles in Johannesburg, Zama obtained her LLB degree at the University of KwaZulu-Natal.

During her articles Zama’s main focus was commercial law which led her to pursuing a certificate in Advanced Company Law 1&2 from the Witwatersrand Nelson Mandela Institute.

Zama has also been an amazing contributor to the Sister In Law platform where she mentors female law students every quarter.

Zama completed her articles in February and is awaiting admission as a legal practitioner.

In her relatively young career, Zama has found ways to navigate challenges she faces in the legal profession and in this interview she has shared her experiences with us in order to give law students a feel of what to expect when they step out of varsity.

Tune in to hear all about how Zama navigates the legal profession.

Tag us on Instagram @zee_shoba @sister_in_law_

Don’t forget to rate and review the show.

Your feedback is important to me, please send all feedback and (guest) suggestions to [email protected]

The same email can also be used to book consultations, request collaborations or paid partnership on the podcast.

To receive the Sister In Law newsletter visit www.sisterinlaw.co.za scroll down to the bottom and submit your email address to be added to the mailing list.

Stay home. Stay safe.

Khanyi Zungu is an Executive Group Head of Legal at a coal mining company. She specializes in corporate and commercial law with a specific focus on mergers and acquisitions, deal structuring, project finance and governance. Khanyi is one of the youngest mining executives in South Africa, working and having worked on a number of groundbreaking transactions with a particular interest in energy, mining, construction and engineering at both commercial and litigation level.

Khanyi is also the founder and Chairwoman of Luke 6:38 Foundation, a nonprofit organization that focuses on poverty alleviation, education and sanitary health.

Khanyi definitively embodies the concept of cementing oneself in ones purpose. Tune in to hear about her remarkable journey as a mining law attorney.

Tag us on Instagram @khanyi_pearl_zungu @sister_in_law_

Don’t forget to rate and review the show.

Your feedback is important to me, please send all feedback and suggestions to [email protected]

The same email can also be used to book consultations, request collaborations or paid partnership on the podcast.

To receive the Sister In Law newsletter visit www.sisterinlaw.co.za scroll down to the end and submit your email address to be added to the mailing list.

Stay home. Stay safe.