Welcome back to another #womaninlaw interview! This month we chat with phenomenal woman in law, Nokukhanya Pearl Zungu, affectionately known as ‘Khanyi’. Khanyi is a commercial legal specialist in Mining, Construction, Engineering, General Energy, Entertainment, Retail and Healthcare and she is currently working as a Chief Legal Advisor at Eskom. She is also M&G’s top 200 young South Africans and Avance Media’s 100 most influential young Africans. Khanyi also believes in giving back to the community, she founded the Luke 6:38 Foundation, a non-profit organisation that focuses on poverty alleviation, education and sanitary health.
Below is our interview with our phenomenal #womaninlaw
FWIL:
What inspired you to study law?
KG:
When I was young, I always interrogated seemingly unjust norms. I always felt I could be a voice to the voiceless. There was an advert on tv, where a man would say to his adversary “don’t talk to me, talk to my lawyer”. The “lawyer” in the advert is seen wearing all black wearing black shades and pulling a black briefcase. Ever since that advert, as superficial as this sounds, I knew I had to be a lawyer wearing ‘all black’ and of course, be able to advocate for those who are unable to. The irony is I am now a commercial lawyer who acts for big corporates as opposed to pro bono work.
FWIL:
Please tell us about your organisation – Luke 6:38 foundation.
KG:
The Luke 6:38 Foundation is a non-profit organisation which focuses on poverty alleviation, education reinforcement and sanitary health for less fortunate people in disadvantaged areas across South Africa. I established the Foundation in 2014 pursuant to a resounding need for a poverty alleviation scheme in Chesterville, Durban, a neighboring township not too far off from the University of KwaZulu Natal.
I now have a team of volunteers who assist in the consistent operations of the Foundation. The Foundation runs quarterly outreach programs across the country and is gearing up to soon operate in the continent.
FWIL:
As a black woman in law, have you experienced gender and race-related bias?
KG:
Absolutely. I have had gender-orientated insults hurled at me, I have also received disadvantageous treatment because I am a black female lawyer. This has worked to my advantage, however. Whenever you are underrated, you are advantaged because whatever you do will ‘pleasantly surprise’ your audience. This means even if you present yourself as average, because you are underrated, you will seem excellent or better than expected.
FWIL:
Please tell us about the challenges, if any, that you have faced.
KG:
It is not easy being a woman in corporate South Africa. It is not easy being black in corporate South Africa nor is it easy being young in corporate South Africa. This means being a young, black & female corporate practitioner is a recipe for challenges in corporate South Africa.
The major challenge I have faced in corporate South Africa is being retrenched and unemployed for over a year because I was over-qualified and a high-net earner. This means prospective employers were of the view that they could not hire me because I was too experienced for my age and salary scale. This meant I was unemployed and was ‘stuck’ so to speak. Fortunately, the Lord opened up a door for business and I established my own consultancy firm which kept things afloat whilst I sought to resume my career.
With determination and resilience, I bounced right back. Anyone can bounce right back, it is very possible.
FWIL:
Do you identify as a feminist? (Why/why not)
KG:
No I don’t. I do not agree with some of the ideologies feminists present.
FWIL:
What does women empowerment mean to you?
KG:
It means women being afforded preferential opportunities and platforms to catapult them to equal footing with men so both genders are on equal par to engage social, economical and political spheres.
FWIL:
The journey of most legal professionals is not always easy. What are some of the lessons you have learned along the way and how have they shaped your outlook on life?
KG:
No one owes me anything. No one owes you anything. If you set your mind on success and greatness, you will need to remove any preconceived ideas of how society should treat you or favour you. You will need to be willing to start from scratch, build and cultivate credibility and reputation and maintain it throughout your legal profession. What God ordains for a person is a mere possibility, it is up to the person in question to appropriate and transition the possibility into reality by putting in the work, effort, resources and time.
FWIL:
What is the best advice you would give to a woman in law?
KG:
I would say work hard like you have no intellect. Exercise your intellect as though you do not work hard. This is the winning combination that has worked for me. I have worked harder than everyone and exercised my intellectual abilities harder than everyone. Always push yourself, day by day. Never feel you have reached your growth ceiling, there is always more growth to attain if you desire it.
FWIL:
What attributes do you think every young lawyer must have?
KG:
A young lawyer must be adaptable. Whether working in a law firm or in corporate South Africa etc., each firm or company has a culture. A young lawyer must be able to adapt to any corporate culture and environment. Having been in practice and corporate, I can confirm that a young lawyer must adopt a proactive, fast-paced culture in practice. In corporate, on the other hand, the pace is a bit slower, but the young lawyer cannot only focus on legal matters, he or she will also need to bolster up his or her business acumen and be prepared to support the business in general commercial work. This means for the young lawyer to succeed in practice, private or corporate, she will have to be very quick to adapt to the environment and be prepared to up-scale himself in order to support the environment accurately.
FWIL:
Our world is constantly changing, in your opinion, what are some of the challenges that legal professionals will face in future?
KG:
I would say there is an increase in law graduates but a scarcity of job opportunities. This means legal professionals must diversify their skill complement to ensure they are able to adapt to corporate SA. These days, lawyers are augmenting their legal skill and knowledge with MBAs and other qualifications to ensure they stand out and increase their career prospects. I would recommend young lawyers start setting their eyes on upskilling themselves and remaining adaptable to the ever-changing world. To ensure value is retained, one must place themselves in the direct pathway of demand. Ensure your skills remain valuable and needed as opposed to competitor skills.
FWIL:
As a legal professional, it is quite important to effectively use your network. How do you meet other professionals and what are some of your effective networking skills?
KG:
LinkedIn and other social media platforms are excellent platforms to meet other professionals in various fields of influence. I would recommend professionals attend formal corporate functions to network with other professionals. It doesn’t help only mingling with the legal eagles, mingle with other people in other professionals to expand your network pool.
Additionally, it is important to put yourself out there and reach out to new people, understand their career paths, and perhaps find mutually beneficial synergies.
FWIL:
What does the term “role model” mean to you? Is there a particular woman in your life that you consider a role model?
KG:
A role model to me is someone who has walked a similar path that I have walked, and has been able to yield much results in whichever sphere of influence they have been planted in. It is someone I can relate to, someone who can guide me in my path because they have or are successfully walking the path.
FWIL:
What books, if any, have you read that have greatly influenced your life?
KG:
Living A Life Of Fire – Reinhard Bonnke
Apostle In The Marketplace Of The Nations – Arome Osayi
FWIL:
What is a quote that you live by? Your mantra.
KG:
Proverbs 16:3
“Commit to the Lord whatever you do, and he will establish your plans”
FWIL:
How do you remain autonomous while working in the legal field?
KG:
Retain your independency. Retain independent thoughts, beliefs and uniqueness. Whilst every young professional must adapt to diverse cultures and influences in the workplace, or legal arena, it is crucial that those ideologies do not dim down and put out the professional’s deeply entrenched value system (if any).
FWIL:
What is your take on mentorship and are you open to mentoring young lawyers or law students?
KG:
I do have a private mentorship program for young lawyers and aspiring lawyers who do reach out to me for mentorship. The mentorship program focuses on career, spiritual and mental health and growth.
FWIL:
How can our readers reach out to you?
KG:
I am available on the following social media platforms:
Instagram: khanyi_pearl_zungu
Facebook: Khanyi Pearl Zungu
Gmail: khanyipearlzungu@gmail.com