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.