"Another black female-owned law firm off the ground"

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By: Gloria Masia

Meet the corporate commercial attorney and founder of Mapongwana Attorneys, Belinda Mapongwana.

 Guguletu born and raised, Belinda had wanted to be a lawyer since childhood.

 Together with her family, Belinda moved to Khayelitsha and that’s where she spent her teenage years and she has never left ever since. 

 She studied a social science degree in 1995 and later completed her law degree at the University of Cape Town.

Belinda was awarded a scholarship to study for a Master’s law degree in Amsterdam which kick-started her career and grew her love for law even more. Like many ordinary graduates, she served as an intern at the United Nations Office, in Geneva.

Decades later, she runs her own boutique law firm that offers commercial advice to companies in Sandton and has managed to bag major clients who would have probably opted for bigger law firms.

 During the interview, Belinda narrated that she was inspired to study law she replied by saying that she liked the fact of being of service and fighting for justice, especially growing up in times that she grew up in.

“The highlight of my career was starting my own law firm, which was never easy because I had no clients; the only thing I had was the belief in myself,” she added.

Taking a long term view of things and knowing where she wanted to be, were some of the reasons behind her motivation. 

 Studying law during the apartheid years, was never easy especially considering that she is a black female, although being focused was one of the things that made her achieve her goals. 

“The advice I would give to young people who want to be in this industry is that – they must be disciplined and understand that they must put in the hours. They must understand that law is not like any other course and must remain focused,” she concluded.

The future I would like for Mapongwana Attorneys is to be an employer of choice for both young and old people.

For more information on Belinda Mapongwana, you can follow her on LinkedIn at Belinda Mapongwana and on twitter @belinda_mapongwana

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