For 27-year-old candidate attorney Sizwe Sibiya, meeting Jeff Matthee – director and partner at Boksburg law firm MRR – is a moment he will never forget.
Sibiya grew up struggling financially and was unable to further his studies, but today he is able to support his two siblings who are in high school.
On completing matric, he worked for three years in what he describes as a dead-end job.
He then applied for a secretary position at MRR.
“When I first met Sizwe, he looked me in the eye and I saw potential,” says Matthee.
Matthee says Sibiya was the only male interviewed for the position.
“He was a slender young man back then, who showed confidence and presence. At the time he, however, was not qualified for the position, so he didn’t get the job,” adds Matthee.
Sibiya says he had researched MRR, and wanted to work for them.
“I looked up their profile and saw a potential for growth. All I wanted at the time was to meet the owners, because I knew they would fall in love with me,” says Sibiya.
Even though he didn’t land a job first time round, his plan succeeded, as he made a lasting impression.
“A while later, after the first interview with Sibiya, a vacancy for a filing clerk opened. He was the first person I thought of, and I called and asked if he’d be interested in doubling his salary. The rest is history,” says Matthee.
Sibiya worked dilligently fulfilled his duties as a file clerk, but he longed for a greater challenge. This is when he approached Matthee for funding to study law.
“While working at MRR I had fallen in love with law. When I approached Jeff, he said he’d been waiting for me to tell him that I wanted to study.
“We entered into an agreement, and with MRR’s financial assistance, I managed to register for my degree,” says Sibiya.
Sibiya is now in his third-year of study, and has a contract with MRR to complete his articles, with Matthee as his principal and mentor.
Sibiya says meeting Matthee was a financial blessing.
Matthee says he can’t help everyone, but believes that more should be done by South African leaders to instill the principle of love and spread a message of caring.
“Under true leadership, we could be encouraged and taught not to hesitate to help, raise funds where necessary and be helpful,” he says.
He points out, that leaders have an obligation to create unification and not diversification, adding that this is something that no statute or law can enforce.
Sibiya reiterates Matthee’s sentiments, and ensures that because he received such general help from MRR, that he also makes time to give back to his community.
He not only works at MMR, but conducts motivational talks, tutoring students from his hometown in Benoni, all the while making time for his pregnant fiancé.
“My philosophy is that successful people sleep less, so I generally avail more hours in my day and sometimes sleep for only four hours,” explains Sibiya.
He says he wants to make a difference and change the mindsets of young people, showing them that hard work coupled with education pays off.
His long-term goals is to qualify as an attorney and become a partner at MRR.
“Sizwe is going to become the finest attorney that this profession has ever seen,” adds Matthee.
