A Different Kind of Lawyer: Tshegofatso Mothapo, Class of 2025

Tšhegofatšo Mothapo sat in a room with people of different racial and socioeconomic backgrounds for the first time as an undergraduate student at the University of the Western Cape. Having grown up at Ga-Mashashane in Limpopo, South Africa, Tšhego began to unravel the complexities of race, exploring how it functions and wrestling with questions of identity, privilege, and democracy in post-apartheid South Africa.

“I developed a curiosity around the ‘haves’ and the ‘have nots’—why some people have things and others don’t,” said Tšhego. “Law seemed like the right tool to do away with inequality and injustice.”

While pursuing her LL.B. at the University of the Western Cape, Tšhego immersed herself in social justice work, joining efforts like the Street Law Society and the Green Campus Initiative. But it was the Ashley Kriel Youth Leadership Development Project, founded by the Institute for Justice and Reconciliation, that proved transformative.

“It was the first time I spoke with various people about how much further South Africa has to go in order to achieve a democracy where Black people, in particular, will be dignified,” said Tšhego. “It gave me the opportunity to unpack how far we’ve come since apartheid and how we’re interacting in society now.”

Through facilitated conversations on race, freedom, and belonging, Tšhego began to envision how youth activism could lay the groundwork for more inclusive societies rooted in social transformation. The experience stirred Tšhego to act. Back home in Ga-Mashashane, she began helping youth apply to university and secure funding—many of them unable to navigate online platforms on their own.

Tšhego’s commitment to uplifting the vulnerable deepened through her legal education and early professional life. She earned her first LL.M. in Human Rights Protection with a specialty in migrant children’s rights at the University of the Western Cape, channeling her research into sustainable solutions for the placement of unaccompanied and separated refugee children in South Africa. For Tšhego, children’s rights advocacy is a necessary intervention for those too young to navigate the legal system alone, underscoring the urgency of safeguards designed to protect children.

She began her legal career at Lawyers for Human Rights, where she sharpened her focus on public interest litigation and human rights activism. Over the course of three years, she championed the rights of refugee and stateless communities before expanding her work to include women and youth. Her expertise earned her a seat on South Africa’s National Steering Committee on unaccompanied and separated children, where she advised UNICEF, UNHCR, Save the Children, and government agencies.

In 2022, after three years of applying persistently, Tšhego received the long-awaited opportunity to clerk at the Constitutional Court of South Africa. Clerking for Justices Zukisa Tshiqi and Rammaka Mathopo, she engaged deeply with a rich kaleidoscope of legal and socio-political issues, from education and healthcare to LGBTQIA+ rights, freedom of expression, and public housing.

“We covered the biggest matters in the country, matters that change the legal landscape,” Tšhego said. “It was the highest country duty I could ever do. I wouldn’t be half the practitioner I am now without that experience.”

Tšhego chose to attend Notre Dame Law School to deepen her understanding of how regional and international mechanisms can amplify human rights protections. She was also drawn to the school’s longstanding ties to South Africa. “South Africans have always been a part of this program,” she said, recalling how alumni described Notre Dame as a place where people truly care. For Tšhego, being a “different kind of lawyer” means using the law as an instrument for social change—much like Justice Mbuyiseli Madlanga '90 LL.M., whose example continues to inspire her.

At Notre Dame Law School, far from her village in Ga-Mashashane, Tšhego has remained steadfast in viewing legal advocacy not simply as casework, but as a calling—seeing clients in full, through an intersectional lens, and fighting for solutions that transcend court orders. Her path has been shaped by many, including her parents, both educators who instilled in Tšhego a lifelong love of learning. “My parents always emphasize that you can’t put a timer on learning,” she said. “As a result, I’ll keep learning. Always.”