Sandile Sydney Andrew Ngwenya

Sandile matriculated from Brettonwood High School in Durban in 1996. He thereafter attended Mangosuthu Technikon for a year and a half studying electronics. Sandile left Mangosuthu Technikon to coach development Rugby for the Natal Rugby Union for a year and a half.

He then enrolled at the University of Natal-Durban Campus for his LLB degree graduating in December 2003, and joined the company as a Candidate Attorney in 2004.

Sandile was admitted as an Attorney and Conveyancer on 3^rd March 2006 and now practices in our Litigation Department. He was appointed as a Director on 1 January 2008.

He is a member of the University of KwaZulu Natal (Pietermaritzburg Campus) Rugby Club and also enjoys playing soccer, but most of his spare time is spent working for Amnesty International where he was a member of the Board of Directors for South Africa from 2001 until 2004. He has represented South Africa and Africa in various International meetings and Committees all over the world.

We were able to track Sandile down for a quick chat about his practice, his interests and his life.

Apart from work, what do you enjoy doing in your spare time?

I do a lot of reading which ranges from novels and autobiographies to reading about interesting phenomena such as the Bermuda Triangle, Stonehenge and the like. I had to cut down on reading time when I started my career as there are lot of other pressing matters that I have to attend to in my work. With better time management, however, I am again getting time to start reading which is what I really enjoy as it helps me relax and relieve stress.

How do you balance work and your career?

The law profession by its very nature does encroach into family life because one is dealing with people as and when they require your assistance. Unfortunately legal issues do not keep office hours. As we are in the business of selling time and expertise, one is often called upon to work long hours and sometimes to undertake work over weekends and holidays which inadvertently clashes with family time.

As a practitioner who has recently became a partner in the firm it is imperative that I put in the requisite hours, with the hope that my family will reap the benefits of my sacrifices. It does help to have a supportive and understanding family for which I am truly grateful.

Tell us about your department. What do you enjoy the most about it?

My department initially started off as being an RAF and correspondence practice but it has since evolved into a commercial litigation practice. Most recently I find that I am doing more and more administrative law matters which I find interesting.

I have also attended to a number of mining applications for either mining rights or mining permits which have been granted. I am continuously involved with the mining operation in respect of ensuring compliance. This takes up a lot of my time as it is very demanding and specialised work.

How does it feel to be one of the directors?

Being one of the directors is daunting and exciting at the same time. It is exciting in the sense that I am the youngest director in the firm and I believe that I bring a lot of energy and new ideas to the company. It is daunting, however, in that this is a company that has been around for 90 years and I am one of the people responsible for seeing the company through and taking the company forward to the next 90 years and beyond. I am further responsible for enhancing the reputation that the company has built over the years. This is a position of trust and extreme confidence and every now and again thinking about my responsibilities has a very sobering effect.

How did you end up doing law?

I initially studied Electronic Engineering at Magosuthu Technicon but in 1998 realised I was not enjoying my studies so I took a “gap year” (actually it was a year and a half) coaching rugby for the Natal Rugby Union targeted at all the development areas in the province. In 2000 I enrolled for an LLB Degree at University of Natal, Durban.

What is your motto?