POLOKWANE – Born and raised in Turfloop, Mankweng the 27-year-old is a Senior Researcher and African Customary Law Expert at the University of Cape Town. She is an advocate of the High Court of South Africa, and a legal and cultural anthropologist.

In her career she has worked for the Commission for Gender Equality, NRF Chair in Customary Law, Indigenous Values and Human Rights, Centre for Law and Society, and the Parliamentary Monitoring Group.

She holds an LLB degree from the University of Venda, an M.Phil with specialisation in African customary law and women’s rights. She also holds a doctorate of philosophy in African customary law and children’s rights from the University of Cape Town.

Kagiso is a Research Consultant for customary law projects in the SADC region and is the founder of the Kagiso Maphalle Foundation which empowers rural communities through educational workshops on human rights and customary law.

She is a member of the International Commission on Legal Pluralism, Social Scientist Research Network, Rutgers Institute of Women’s Studies, International Society for Third-Sector Research, African Law and Society, African Studies Association of Africa, the Human Development and Capability Association, and the African Studies Association.

Aside from all of these responsibilities, she is also an avid blogger with her blog, Life of a Researcher, where she writes about her experiences in the field of customary law. Her research interests are in customary law, legal pluralism, gender law, succession and inheritance rights, women’s rights, children’s rights, human rights and development.

“The motive behind my success is that I am passionate about the empowerment of women and children. I have chosen to contribute towards this empowerment by becoming an experienced lawyer and researcher.

“I am from Limpopo which is a largely rural province and my experiences as a young woman, as well as the experiences of my family and community, made me realise there is a gap in the research and empowerment of women in rural communities. Upon realising this, I set out to assist in remedying this with my decision to work for the Commission for Gender Equality in Limpopo instead of joining the corporate legal sector.

“My time at the commission allowed me to be in touch with the struggles and realities of women and children in rural communities and how the law has attempted to, and in some instances failed, to empower them.

“My decision to pursue postgraduate studies was to ensure that I am skilled, qualified and knowledgeable enough to make meaningful contributions and earn seats at decision-making tables in order to effect change from the top.”

She added her ingredients for achievement are commitment, determination and a lot of hard work. Anyone who wishes to be successful, she explained, must not only have the desire to do so, but have a plan in place to make all their dreams a reality. “You must be humble, respectful and have a teachable spirit so you can be flexible when things do not go according to plan. My advice to young people is they must start dreaming beyond their circumstances and work hard at making every one of their dreams a reality.

“You must never let anyone tell you that your dreams are impossible or unrealistic. Do not look for shortcuts to success and never rely on anyone for money or favours. You have it within you to achieve even the wildest dreams possible.

“It will not be easy, but it will certainly be worth it in the end. I am part of a mentorship programme at the university which seeks to increase the number of black female academics in South African universities. I have been doing this on the side-lines for a while, and the foundation will be my way of formalising the initiative.”

editor@nmgroup.co.za