Guard recalls how he inspired him to study law
Mabuza finishing his LLB degree
Renowned human rights lawyer George Bizos inspired a former security guard to study law.
Shadrack Fana-Fana Mabuza, 39, from Mpumalanga, a final-year LLB student at Unisa, paid tribute to Bizos, who died on Wednesday, describing him as a great role model who shaped his career.
Mabuza met Bizos in 2014 while working as a security guard at Bram Fischer Towers in the Johannesburg CBD, where Bizos’s legal resource centre was based. He said Bizos encouraged him to study international human rights law and media law so he could serve people.
“My job was to open doors for him and walk him to his office where I carried his bags. We became close and he started talking to me about his work and other things,” Mabuza said.
“One day he said I must do him a favour and enrol towards studying law. He was specific with me, he said in my studies I must include international human rights and media law. He spoke about the then proposed media tribunal, saying it will cut media freedom and that it would be bad for democracy, hence I must work hard to achieve my degree so that we could defend media freedom.”
Mabuza said Bizos had a sharp mind. “He’s my greatest inspiration, he didn’t mind that I was a security guard, but talked with me freely and gave me advice to go further. My wish was to graduate and take my degree to Mr. Bizos to thank him for what he did to my life. I’m deeply hurt because he even made sure that my studies are funded through a company I’m working at now. He was a God send to me. I understand why he represented the likes of Nelson Mandela during the Rivonia trial. He was a champion of human rights,” said Mabuza.
At the height of apartheid, Bizos represented the Rivonia trialists who included Nelson Mandela and Walter Sisulu. He also appeared at the TRC, representing families of liberation heroes such as Steve Bantu Biko, Chris Hani and the Cradock Four.
During the celebration of late anti-apartheid activist Ahmed Kathrada’s 89th birthday in 2018, Bizos called on South Africans to espouse the values of non-racialism.
‘‘ He didn’t mind that I was a security guard