In memory of Afzal Mosam SC
Death is inevitable but it remains difficult to accept, especially when one mourns a life that represented the immaculate story of Afzal Mosam SC.

On the 24th of January 2023, the Bridge Group of Advocates organized a poignant memorial to honour and celebrate the remarkable life of Afzal Mosam SC.

Afzal was a well-respected, inspiring senior counsel of the South African bar, who passed away suddenly, leaving behind a legacy of kindness, generosity and mentorship.

The memorial garnered a tremendous turnout.

Friends, family members, and colleagues gathered in unison to share heartfelt tributes, admiration and appreciation for the extraordinary legacy left behind by Afzal Mosam SC. They reminisced about the profound impact Afzal Mosam SC had on their lives and the legal community.

The appropriate way to refer to Afzal Mosam SC would be to use his full title. However, everyone who knew Afzal Mosam SC, knew that he preferred to be called “Afzal”. 

A very apparent golden thread and a strong moral conviction that Afzal intentionally lived by was humility. He preferred humble environments, humble people and humble things with the single exception of his preferred way of travelling. Afzal loved beautiful cars.

Afzal was also known for his warmth, sage wisdom, teaching spirit, top-class sense of humour and ability to bring people together.

Afzal made extremely important contributions within the realms of the law. He was a formidable labour lawyer and highly accomplished mediator  and arbitrator.  

In his legal practice, Afzal was particularly supportive of women. His willingness to work with, and mentor female juniors, especially black female juniors was a rarity in a field where black women are often underrepresented. His dedication to mentoring juniors and providing them with the tools to practice independently will be a lasting legacy.

His unwavering commitment to his family was also apparent from day-to-day conversations when he shared stories about them with so much love in his eyes. 

Afzal will be remembered for his distinctive sense of humour, not taking life too seriously, his respect for others and his ability to create a safe space for those around him.

Afzal’s impact was felt beyond his work as a senior counsel. He was not just a remarkable advocate, rainmaker and mentor, he was also a wonderful human being.

He was  a friend to many.  He had an unblemished caring and generous nature, frequently offering to share his legal insight, laughs and lunch with others, regardless of a very busy legal practice.

Afzal was astonishingly convincing and had incredible negotiation skills that he used daily in his practice but even more so to convince colleagues that there was always time for some banter and a coffee on the balcony. He would often say: Madam what you don’t know now you not going to learn, let’s go.

Afzal valued human interaction above all and his presence made chambers a warm and vibrant environment.

On the day of Afzal’s memorial,  his brother, Zunaid Mosam, shared a vivid memory of the day Afzal visited him in prison when he was detained during the dark days of apartheid. Afzal dauntlessly lifted his fist and said, ‘Amandla‘ despite the prison warden hovering around that confined visiting room like a pesky mosquito. His brother shared another memory of the days when they lived together in a flat in Roodepoort and the times they spent long, and cold winter nights campaigning for the United Democratic Front during the defiance campaign.

Afzal lived his life grounded in his faith and he showed no fear in speaking his truth. Even if his opinion was not the most popular one in the room, Afzal was committed to doing the right thing. He was a champion for social justice and transformation, and strived to continue to back the causes that he cared deeply for.

Everyone who knew Afzal knew that that he loved Liverpool. In fact, a very clear analogy can be drawn between the game of football and his life. Afzal always had a goal in mind and realised the importance of hard work, teamwork, grit, determination and preparation in achieving his goal. In his life, Afzal was a player, a goal scorer, a defender, a coach, a mediator and a referee. Afzal wanted his team to win but, save for Manchester United, he always celebrated the wins of others.

Over and above all of this and regardless of capacity, Afzal was on the field, day in and day out, playing the game of life with vigour and honour.

Despite the sadness of his passing, Afzal’s legacy will live on, and he will be remembered for his dedication to the law, morality, and humanity.

His sudden death is a reminder that life on earth is short.

We should cherish the time we have with those around us and that we should remain intentional about serving the greater society.

Naively, we sometimes think that amazing souls like Afzal’s will be with us forever only to be reminded that death is a lingering certainty. A lingering certainty, but a reminder of the value and purpose of life. Afzal’s life might’ve ended too soon but Afzal lived just short of 57 valuable and purposeful years, filled with more life than some could manage to fit into 100 laps around the sun.

We are thankful for every single lap around the sun for which Afzal was lent to us. We might be left with his physical absence but his light and legacy will shine eternally.

It is a source of gratitude and pride for the Bridge Group that we were able to honour Afzal in a space that he so embraced and personified.

As Chimnay states Death is not the end, death could never be the end, death is the road, life is the traveller, the soul is the guide

Amandla Afzal. We will love, respect and honour you forever.

Rest in power, legend.

Retha Richards

AFZAL MOSAM SC

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