- A chance encounter on a flight gave rise to a meaningful and deeply personal conversation with Adv Dumisa Ntsebeza SC.
- Ntsebeza shared reflections on legal practice, passion, mentorship, and the value of growing through every case.
- The encounter left a lasting lesson about greatness, humility, and what it truly means to serve the law.
There are moments in life that arrive unexpectedly and leave a mark that time cannot erase. One such moment came in the skies on what should have been an ordinary flight, but became an extraordinary encounter that carried wisdom, reflection, and the quiet power of learning from a legal giant.
I was blessed to share a moment with Advocate Dumisa Ntsebeza SC on a flight. I found him seated and greeted him, as is the culture I was raised with. My heart nearly made me miss him, but his voice was familiar. I looked at him again and again, then said, “Salute, Senior Counsel.” We officially introduced ourselves, and from there, a meaningful conversation began.
Remember that a conversation has different slopes. In some, you give, and in others, you are given. In some conversations, you come to add value and bring your opinion, but in others, you come to receive value. I was happy to touch the hem of the garment like the woman with an issue in the Bible. I am sure he felt virtue come out of him. I truly wanted that moment.
Lessons from a legal giant
Adv Dumisa Ntsebeza SC has 41 years of experience as a legal practitioner. He is currently serving as a judge at the African Court on Human and Peoples' Rights in Arusha, Tanzania. Ntsebeza was a member of Pitje Chambers and also served as a commissioner at the Truth and Reconciliation Commission. He is Chancellor of the University of Fort Hare, a responsibility that later became a striking coincidence in our discussion.
He said to me, “Adv Maila, you are still young. This profession is too long, very long, longer than a trip from Morocco to Madagascar, or Cape to Cairo.” I immediately remembered his book, Apartheid South Africa, which I had read, and we spoke briefly about it. He reflected on age and value in the profession, saying that law is one of the few callings where a practitioner can become most valuable at an older age, with experience deepening one’s worth rather than diminishing it.
I asked him about his journey. He told me that many young advocates want big cases, but greatness is not built only on high-profile briefs. He said, “You do not need big cases to be big. You can use the small cases you do daily to grow into becoming big. Just do your best with every case that you face, do your work, and grow bit by bit.”
He also spoke about passion. He made it clear that law is not a profession one should join for money alone. Wealth may come with time, but passion is what carries a practitioner through the long road. Without that fire, he explained, many never reach the point where the rewards of discipline and perseverance begin to show.
On becoming better through the work
I asked him whether there is such a thing as a bad lawyer. His answer was both honest and generous. He said every lawyer is good and bad at different stages of growth. When you face a matter for the first time, without mentorship and guidance, you may struggle. But with repetition, learning, and continued exposure, you become better. Over time, learning shapes competence, and competence builds excellence.
When I asked him about becoming Senior Counsel, he spoke with humility. He said silk is an honour and an important recognition, but it does not do the work. What matters is diligence, courage, and discipline. A silk can still be clumsy if passion and commitment were absent from the beginning. Recognition, he made clear, is not a substitute for workmanship.
Reflections on history and legacy
We later spoke about his time at the Truth and Reconciliation Commission. I told him that I knew of the tensions surrounding the appearance of Letlapa Mphahlele and of allegations of plots and threats at the time. He looked at me with surprise and remarked that I was too young to know such details. I explained that I had been exposed to those conversations because my father travelled with me and I had listened closely to what was being discussed. That opened a conversation about politics, struggle history, and the difficult labels people carried in turbulent times.
I asked him whether he had once been part of the PAC. In response, he spoke about his early association with the Black Consciousness Movement of Steve Biko. He was visibly struck by how much I knew about the tensions, plans, and fears that surrounded those years.
A moment that stayed with me
We also spoke about his work as Chancellor of the University of Fort Hare. He told me he was preparing to spend the week conferring degrees upon graduating students. He then asked what I was busy with. I told him I had weeks of trial work ahead of me. He was surprised that I had been hired from Pretoria to travel that far and suggested that it meant I must be doing something right. I laughed it off and reminded him that this day belonged to Senior Counsel.
I then joked that, unfortunately, I had come to litigate against his university and had been defeating the institution in court over the past few years. I told him I hoped to bring that litigation to a close soon. He laughed and offered the simplest advice of all, “Do your work.”
Before long, we were about to land. I carried his bag, walked with him to the carousel to collect his luggage, and we parted ways after taking a photograph. One lady approached us and asked for a photo with both of us. She said she had just graduated with an LLB that week and was inspired by both of us. We gladly obliged and then parted ways.
I had a great time. I pray to meet more inspiring figures like this. I follow greatness, not fame and trends.
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