Siphiwe Vilakati recounts her journey from the countryside to court
By the AFREEQUE newsroom, based on Times of Eswatini
Siphiwe Vilakati looks back on her childhood between the rural areas of kaVelezizweni and schooling in Manzini, before her professional career at Eswatini’s Revenue Appeals Tribunal. She says this contrasting social experience and her parents’ education shaped her values and ambition, according to Times of Eswatini.
Siphiwe Vilakati, a legal executive serving on Eswatini’s Revenue Appeals Tribunal, has retraced her journey between rural life, urban education and higher studies in law, taxation, international economic relations and aerospace management, according to the Times of Eswatini. Born in the Mankayane region, she attended school in Manzini before her family moved in 1996 to a farm in kaZenzile, near Hlatikhulu, and later returned to Velezizweni.
Vilakati credits her parents with having a decisive influence on her journey, particularly her father, who repeatedly told her to push beyond limits when she reached a ceiling. She holds a Bachelor of Laws from the University of Zululand, three Master of Laws degrees from Loyola University of Chicago, Toulouse 1 Capitole University and UNISA, as well as a postgraduate diploma in taxation from the University of Eswatini and a Global Executive MBA in aerospace management from Toulouse Business School, according to the Times of Eswatini. She is currently working towards a Doctor of Law.
