Meet Nomlayo Mabhena, SA’s Youngest Black Woman Attorney Admitted as a Conveyancer
- Nomlayo Mabhena made history in SA by becoming the youngest black woman attorney admitted as a conveyancer
- She took up space in the male-dominated legal field and is thriving while making a difference through her passion
- Mabhena opened up about how she managed to reach her level of accomplishment at a young age
- Inspired by her historic achievement and resilience, Nomlayo was named one of Briefly News Women of Wonder 2022
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Source: UGC
Nomalayo Mabhena is breaking glass ceilings because she made history in South Africa after becoming the youngest black woman attorney admitted as a conveyance at the age of 23.
According to Standard Bank's Top Women, the Pretoria-born attorney was raised in Olievenhoutbosch, a township in Centurion, by her parents, both primary school teachers.
The attorney has credited her parents for her tenacious spirit. Nomlayo said it's thanks to her mom and dad instilling in her the value of hard work and rising above circumstances that she's a success today.
Mabhena obtained her LLB degree at the University of Pretoria and served as a candidate attorney at Cliffe Dekker Hofmeyr in 2017, reported Polity.
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A book inspired Nomlayo to pursue a career in law
Nomlayo said her passion for law started at a tender age when she read The Innocent Prisoner by Kwasi Koranteng.
It was clear from then that being a lawyer would be the best way for Nomlayo to affect change in the world.
Even though her mind was set on becoming an attorney early on, Mabhena said she had to sacrifice some aspects of her social life to achieve this goal and qualify as a conveyancer.
In an exclusive interview with Briefly News, the young attorney said:
"I sat for the conveyancing exam while I was a Candidate Attorney, which is in itself a difficult period.
"However, delaying certain aspects of life, which would have been nice to have at the time, helped me focus on the goal at hand.
"I could then enjoy the benefit of the sacrifice later, and it was certainly worth it."
Nomplayo said the biggest obstacle she had to overcome in life was being an introvert.
"In professional settings, this can easily be construed as a lack of knowledge in your field, should you not readily speak up in meetings, for example."
But no task is too big for this go-getter! Nomlayo overcame this by starting small, speaking in smaller circles, and having the confidence to voice her opinion in those circles.
"It takes a few tries, and eventually, you find yourself truly expressing yourself without necessarily re-inventing your personality."
Studying also helped the attorney build her confidence: "It helped me to convince myself that I have a foundation for the things I speak of."
Women need to keep climbing the ladder and break historical barriers
Mabhena believes a modern SA woman who wants to change the country for the better should be resilient, especially in the corporate world.
Nomlayo believes women need to keep climbing the ladder and breaking historical barriers. Once they reach the top, they must also assist other women to succeed. Speaking of the women who inspire her, she added:
"I am genuinely inspired by working-class women, especially in the low and middle class, who are working to put food on the tables of their families and put their children through school, especially through university.
"It is certainly not an easy feat. I am of the view that we ought to be cognisant of the people who are working to ensure that future generations are more empowered than the last."
For Mabhena, the goal must always be to leave the world better than we found it, and it starts by raising a more equipped generation.
So, I am inspired by the women who must overcome so many struggles to make it possible for future generations."
Mabhena shared that being an attorney is not really what she envisioned. Nomlayo said society is flooded with legal drama series, which create a perception of what the industry will be like.
"We, however, forget that it's exactly what it is meant to be – drama.
"The legal industry itself functions quite differently. From a purely administrative perspective, litigation is a lengthy and costly exercise that generally spans over years and is riddled with administrative inefficiencies.
"Secondly, child-like naivety dreams of a just and equal world, which certainly is not a reality. This is, of course, not unique to the legal sector."
Briefly News 2022 Women of Wonder aims to inspire women
Briefly News wants to celebrate the female changemakers of 2022 by honouring a few influential, inspiring women.
The team looked for women who made a success despite some tough challenges they faced in their respective sectors.
Our goal is to create inspirational content that shows our audience what the embodiment of a resilient and strong South A woman is.
Briefly News hopes to motivate other women to go beyond their limits.
If you want to participate in our next special project or want to be featured in one of Briefly News' women empowerment articles, please email contact@briefly.co.za with Women Empowerment in the subject line.
Young lady proud of becoming barrister despite being doubted by many people and facing failures
In a similar story, Briefly News reported that a tenacious young legal practitioner is thrilled about finally becoming a barrister, despite encountering various hurdles along her journey.
The beautiful lady said she was doubted, failed an exam, and faced many other challenges, including difficulties posed by the COVID-19 pandemic. But despite everything, she never gave up.
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Source: Briefly News
