Sicelo Ngwenya

Ruth First Scholar 2022-23

Sicelo Ngwenya is from Zimbabwe.

He has a distance-learning LLB degree from the University of South Africa. He has been working for a law firm in Bulawayo and has been involved in various community projects: a student research project on the social impact of the shift to online learning during the pandemic, which has informed policy debate in parliament; the founding of a neighbourhood library and reading club; involvement in a youth-led charity providing support to vulnerable children.

At Durham Sicelo took an LLM in International Law & Governance. He was a member of St Chad’s College, which supports the scholarship by providing subsidized accommodation for all Ruth First Scholars. In October 2022 he spoke at an event organized by the RFET: a concert by the Soweto Gospel Choir in Durham Cathedral. In June 2023 he gave the Ruth First Scholar Seminar at the University, speaking on “Under Siege: Confronting Digital Authoritarianism in Southern Africa”.

His ambition is to pursue a career in human rights law, focusing both on the critical situation in Zimbabwe and on the international dimension.

In 2025, Sicelo started work as a litigation caseworker for Global Legal Action Network (GLAN), a non-profit organisation that works with affected communities to pursue legal actions across borders, challenging states and other powerful actors involved with systemic injustice. He supports GLAN’s litigation in England and Wales, providing legal research and administrative support for ongoing judicial reviews.