Grad Gallery: Qobo Ningiza

LinkedIn: bit.ly/3sxFRm5

Current position:

Law clerk at the Constitutional Court of South Africa

Past position:

Paralegal Secretary at First National Bank

Academic history:

2018 Bachelor of Laws (LLB) at UCT

2015 Bachelor of Arts specialising in Law at North West University

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How did you obtain your current position, and what challenges did you face in finding employment?

A friend of mine who worked at the Constitutional Court last year alerted me to an advert which called for applications for the 2021 intake. I reluctantly applied, doubtful whether I would be considered because of the very competitive nature of the application process. I applied nonetheless and got selected to interview with two judges, one of whom picked me as a clerk.

I went through a very difficult period of unemployment [after graduation]. I applied at many companies but many of them did not respond. When they did, it was usually bad news. I took a lot of psychological strain from the application processes, demotivated and getting hopeless. I started believing it could be that companies were reluctant to hire me because they saw hiring a deaf person to be risky since virtually all of the companies I applied at had never had a deaf person in their employ and I would have been the first. And when I mentioned the requirements that would be necessary for my accommodation, I feared that I may have pushed them away.

What do your day-to-day responsibilities look like?

I have the most challenging daily responsibilities at the Constitutional Court, which are all very important for the administration of justice. I get involved in virtually everything the judge does. I conduct research on behalf of the judge, attend hearings on every case that is heard by the court and make sure to take very good notes during the hearing, draft comments on pending judgments, check referencing, spelling and grammatical errors in judgments before they are finalised and made public, handle new applications that come in to Court and attend clerks’ seminars on specific cases.

What are the key skills that have contributed to your success so far?

I would say good attention to detail and good writing skills have contributed a lot. Also, being quite persuasive generally helped, I believe. But generally, I think focus and resilience had a much more impact in taking me where I am now.

Be open to learning and be ready to devise new ways of working as you adapt to a very different environment from the one you encountered at school and university.

What advice would you give to deaf graduates entering the world of work?

Be open to learning and be ready to devise new ways of working as you adapt to a very different environment from the one you encountered at school and university. You may be required to do things that you thought would be impossible for you to do and be ready to scratch yourself to your limits. Generally, many employers do not want to spend on equipment that will be accommodating as it is considered expensive, it is here that you will need to make the most out of every situation even without much resources at times. Just be flexible as much as possible and adapt to working in different situations.

What impact has COVID-19 had on your career and industry?

We now do hearings in Court via online platforms rather than the customary in person hearings. We’ve had to adapt to this digital format and at times it can be quite difficult as we sometimes unexpectedly lose connection and not hear each other on video. I do understand that many law firms have had to shut doors owing to COVID-19, which is devastating as it has cost hundreds or even thousands of people jobs. I still have not met all the judges at the Constitutional Court because they are working from home and this is saddening. It is my wish that one day we will have an in-person hearing where I will get to meet all the judges and the lawyers presenting their cases.