Judge Brian Mashile of the Mpumalanga Division of the High Court. Photo supplied by Office of the Chief Justice.
Judge Brian Mashile of the Mpumalanga Division of the High Court strongly believes that pupils with disabilities should not be restricted in special schools but integrated with others without disabilities in ordinary public schools.
Mashile who is a respectable Judge in the country, became blind at the age of 16 in 1979 after an attack from migrant labourers in Alexandra township. The incident happened just before he wrote his Grade 10 final exams. Despite all, Mashile was able to complete his matric in 1982 and pursued his law degree from 1983 to 1988.
He expressed in an exclusive interview with the Diary Series of Deaf People that after completion of matric, people with disabilities do not go to special universities, workplaces, and societies. Therefore, he believes they should attend inclusive general schools as they find it hard to integrate when they are exposed to ordinary institutions.
Mashile has a degree in BA and LLB (Law) obtained at the University of Witwatersrand. He is the founding partner of Mashile-Ntlhoro Inc, currently Ramushu Mashile Twala Inc. He is the former director and shareholder of disability Bagale Mining. He practised as an attorney for 22 years and became a Judge in 2013 and rules on diverse matters.
Mashile said:
“When you see a blind person walking and tapping a cane you do not know what to do, you do not know how to assist that person. But if we [people with disabilities] were among society, and we were allowed to go to normal schools, people without disability would find it normal to be around those with disabilities. Therefore you, a person with disability holds the key. It depends on the attitude that you display toward other people. If you want to invite sympathy, you can easily do so. If you do not want to, again, you can do so.”
He added that, “Even to those who are not blind, they can discriminate against people with disabilities. This causes those with disabilities to feel afraid to expose themselves to the public. Perhaps it is time society should integrate people with disabilities.”
But he said through perseverance, a person with disabilities can change the attitude toward them.
Mashile said:
Against all challenges Mashile encountered in life, losing his vision during his teenage years, and both his parents and later his brother who took care of him, he never gave up hope. After matric, Mashile started with B Proc, but he switched over to BA Law and later LLB. After completing his studies, he served his articles with Edward Nathan & Friedland, currently ENS. He then opened his own law firm with a former varsity mate, Victor Ntlhoro. Their law firm was called, Mashile-Ntlhoro. The two worked together until Ntlhoro was injured and medically boarded.
Mashile-Ntlhoro continued to operate until 2004 when he was joined by Gcwalisile Makhathini. The firm then changed its name to Mashile-Twala. It underwent a further name change to Ramushu Mashile Twala in 2009 when they recruited Melatong Ramushu. To date, it is still operating under that name.
Read about Judge Brian Mashile’s journey in university in our previous article.
