BLACK lawyers used the memorial service for KwaZulu-Natal attorney Advocate Mvuseni Ngubane to express their struggle to "make ends meet".
Deputy chairman of Black Lawyers Association (BLA) in Durban, Sifiso Msomi, said: "It is a tragedy that after 18 years of freedom, in a country where there are approximately 49-million people and about 23,000 lawyers, there are black attorneys who are still struggling to make ends meet.
"It is a tragedy that if all our white commercial lawyers colleagues were to leave our country in unison, our economy could be in crises because there are no experienced black commercial lawyers."
Msomi said the circumstances faced by black lawyers were heartbreaking.
"It is a tragedy that amongst us, there's no black lawyer who could claim that he worked on a big merger and acquisition worth billions of rands.
"It's a tragedy that we have one of the biggest ports in South Africa, but there are no black law firms in this town who do shipping law ..."
Msomi vowed they will continue to lobby both the public and private sectors to give work to black lawyers.
"If we do not empower our black lawyers, our detractors will continue to question the calibre of black judges.
Ngubane, who was chairman of the BLA, committed suicide on Saturday by shooting himself in the head. He was found in the back of his Mercedes Benz parked at his home. He left a suicide note.
He was yesterday hailed as belonging to "that rare breed" of lawyers who understood that lawyers had to play their role in the liberation of South Africans and was likened to the late Griffiths and Victoria Mxenge and the late Archie Gumede.
It emerged that though Ngubane was an ANC activist, he understood that BLA was not a preserve of ANC-aligned lawyers.
"He was quick to point out a conduct which could potentially alienate members not aligned to the ANC though he was an activist. He never abused his position at BLA to further interests of the ANC."
Judge King Ndlovu described Ngubane as one of the most seasoned attorneys produced by KwaZulu-Natal.
"He was the best labour lawyer."
His brother Bhekabantu Ngubane said: "We are still in shock.
"We don't know why he took his life and we don't want to speculate."
Ngubane will be buried tomorrow and President Jacob Zuma is expected to attend the funeral.
Ngubane hailed at his memorial
BLACK lawyers used the memorial service for KwaZulu-Natal attorney Advocate Mvuseni Ngubane to express their struggle to "make ends meet".
Deputy chairman of Black Lawyers Association (BLA) in Durban, Sifiso Msomi, said: "It is a tragedy that after 18 years of freedom, in a country where there are approximately 49-million people and about 23,000 lawyers, there are black attorneys who are still struggling to make ends meet.
"It is a tragedy that if all our white commercial lawyers colleagues were to leave our country in unison, our economy could be in crises because there are no experienced black commercial lawyers."
Msomi said the circumstances faced by black lawyers were heartbreaking.
"It is a tragedy that amongst us, there's no black lawyer who could claim that he worked on a big merger and acquisition worth billions of rands.
"It's a tragedy that we have one of the biggest ports in South Africa, but there are no black law firms in this town who do shipping law ..."
Msomi vowed they will continue to lobby both the public and private sectors to give work to black lawyers.
"If we do not empower our black lawyers, our detractors will continue to question the calibre of black judges.
Ngubane, who was chairman of the BLA, committed suicide on Saturday by shooting himself in the head. He was found in the back of his Mercedes Benz parked at his home. He left a suicide note.
He was yesterday hailed as belonging to "that rare breed" of lawyers who understood that lawyers had to play their role in the liberation of South Africans and was likened to the late Griffiths and Victoria Mxenge and the late Archie Gumede.
It emerged that though Ngubane was an ANC activist, he understood that BLA was not a preserve of ANC-aligned lawyers.
"He was quick to point out a conduct which could potentially alienate members not aligned to the ANC though he was an activist. He never abused his position at BLA to further interests of the ANC."
Judge King Ndlovu described Ngubane as one of the most seasoned attorneys produced by KwaZulu-Natal.
"He was the best labour lawyer."
His brother Bhekabantu Ngubane said: "We are still in shock.
"We don't know why he took his life and we don't want to speculate."
Ngubane will be buried tomorrow and President Jacob Zuma is expected to attend the funeral.
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