Elspeth Nomahlubi Berlinda Khwinana has built her career standing up for people facing injustice. As a child, after witnessing violence in her family, she knew she wanted to defend others.
Khwinana grew up in KwaZulu-Natal until she was 10. After her parents divorced, the family moved to Pretoria. She spent three years with her grandmother and elder sister in Soweto before moving to a boarding school in Pretoria. Khwinana completed matric, studied law and joined a law firm in 1998. She was admitted as an attorney in March 2000. She opened a township firm because she wanted ordinary people to have someone in their corner.
Early in her career, Khwinana defended a person accused of a crime who did not qualify for legal aid because of the income threshold. The case put pressure on her young firm but she believed he deserved a defence. The court acquitted him.She later paid a university debt for a young man who could not obtain his degree. He received his degree, an outcome she treasures.
Khwinana's commitment to opening doors led to the South African Women Lawyers Association. In 2020, during the Covid-19 pandemic, she helped its president revive the organisation. Khwinana served on committees and helped establish a student chapter for aspiring women lawyers.
As a human rights commissioner, she is energised by overlooked human rights issues. She brings them into conversations, speeches and academic work and seeks redress when rights are violated. Her belief is that a solution exists and she must keep looking for it. She also believes learning never ends.