Judge Sharon Chesiwe – Free State division of the High Court

This week on Womanity-Women in Unity, Dr. Amaleya Goneos-Malka talks to Judge Sharon Chesiwe from the Free State division of the High Court. When Judge Chesiwe graduated from high school her career options, as a black woman in South Africa, were limited; primarily to teaching and nursing. For more than a decade Judge Chesiwe followed a nursing track and eventually transitioned into law. She explained her decision to shift careers was partly motivated by incidents of injustice she had observed whilst she was a nurse, for example, pay disparity between people of different races. She realised that the only way to fight these injustices was through the law. Judge Chesiwe is passionate about family law and ensuring that people who come before her are treated with humility and respect. South African women have had a very real struggle in the journey to equality to move past the point where they were regarded as minors under the custodianship of their father or husband. Women need to keep pushing forwards and owning their constitutional rights. Women need to be involved in the drafting of policies that impact them, e.g. sexual harassment policies in the workplace. Judge Chesiwe reminds women to appreciate their strength and have the confidence to know that they can do anything. Tune in for more…