DURBAN - After three rings, he picks up the phone and already you can hear the excitement in his voice as he tells me that his phone has been ringing non stop and he needs to charge it soon.
We briefly chatted via Twitter (yes, I slid in his DMs - but it was strictly for professional reasons!)
His name is Katlego Makgaila, he is 26-years-old and he has just been accepted as an attorney at the High Court of South Africa.
This morning, Makgaila posted photographs of himself and his mom and dad standing outside the Gauteng High Court, with the caption, "An admitted attorney of the High Court of South Africa"
It didn’t take very long for news to spread and #CongratulationsKatlego to trend. His post has been shared, retweeted and commented on hundreds of times.
An admitted attorney of the High Court of South Africa 🏆 pic.twitter.com/LcgkS00sXN
— Katlego Makgaila (@Katlego_Mack) March 26, 2021
@Katlego_Mack congratulations papi... higher and higher💯💯💯
— Puso (@PusoMotidi) March 26, 2021
👏🏽👏🏽👏🏽👏🏽👏🏽👏🏽 this is incredible 👏🏽👏🏽👏🏽👏🏽👏🏽 Congratulations
— YouTube: Boipelo K (@Boipelo__K) March 26, 2021
BLACK CHILD IT IS POSSIBLE. 👏🏽👏🏽👏🏽👏🏽👏🏽👏🏽 Congratulations Katlego 🎉🎉🎉❤️ https://t.co/2uvjYtAPks
— YouTube: Boipelo K (@Boipelo__K) March 26, 2021
Makgaila is one of five kids born to Peter and Juliah Makgaila and grew up in Limpopo. He believes the law bug bit when he was in high school, taking part in numerous debates and public speaking events.
"I graduated from the University of Johannesburg in 2018 and went on to do my articles later that year. I did my practical legal training at the University of Pretoria and once that was completed, I was eligible for admission," he said.
Makgaila paid tribute to his parents who have stood behind and supported him throughout his studies.
"I went home to fetch my parents because I wanted them to share this with me. It just feels amazing," he gushed.
He added that he was overwhelmed by the outpouring of well wishes and support from social media users. He said he knew his friends were happy and would share but to think that he would be trending, never did he imagine that!
Makgaila said he plans to stay on the legal path and one day open his own practice.
IOL