Gcobisa Cekiso-Mapuma’s professional life is confidently defined by the range of spaces in which she operates and excels. She works across several roles, serving as a Consultant Associate Attorney at KM Attorneys while also operating as a Health and Safety consultant and trainer. Alongside her professional practice, she leads two ventures she founded – a wellness community for women and an athleisure clothing brand.
While the combination may appear unconventional at first glance, each layer of her career reflects more than a decade of experience built across environmental health, occupational safety and law. What may seem like a varied portfolio is, in reality, the result of years spent developing expertise, following emerging opportunities and expanding the scope of her work.
Her professional journey began in Environmental Health. Cekiso-Mapuma studied at the Cape Peninsula University of Technology, where she completed a National Diploma followed by a BTech degree, graduating in 2010. “After completing my studies I was appointed by the Gauteng Department of Health to complete my community service before being permanently placed as an Environmental Health Practitioner within Port Health Services,” she shares.
The role introduced her to the regulatory environment that governs public health at national entry points. Through this work she gained firsthand exposure to compliance enforcement and the realities of protecting public health within highly regulated systems.
Discovering Occupational Health and Safety
While working in Port Health Services, Cekiso-Mapuma developed a growing interest in Occupational Health and Safety. Determined to transition into the field, she completed the Safety Management Training course in 2015, a recognised qualification in the health and safety profession.
The transition, however, did not happen immediately. “Although I actively pursued opportunities in Occupational Health and Safety, suitable roles did not materialise at the time. So rather than pause my progress, I made the decision to go back to school”.
In 2016, while still working full time, she enrolled for an LLB degree at the University of South Africa. The decision meant balancing a demanding job with the academic rigour of legal studies, a challenge that required discipline and consistency over several years.
Around the same period she was finally able to transition into Occupational Health and Safety work, expanding her skill set further by completing Facilitator and Assessor training which enabled her to conduct training and assessments within the health and safety field.
Life continued to evolve alongside her professional commitments. During her second year of LLB studies she got married and in 2018, while in her third year of law school, she and her husband welcomed their first child. Managing parenthood, work and academic responsibilities required careful prioritisation and resilience. Despite these demands, she completed her LLB in 2020, graduating with an impressive 16 distinctions.
The Road to Legal Practice
After finishing her law degree, Cekiso-Mapuma continued working in Occupational Health and Safety until 2021, when she made another decisive shift. “I resigned from my position as a Quality, Health, Safety and Environmental Officer to pursue articles and formally transition into legal practice,” she explains.
Before securing articles she worked as a Health and Safety Compliance Auditor on a national project for a State-Owned Enterprise. The work took her across several provinces conducting large scale health and safety audits, providing valuable exposure to national compliance systems.
Soon after the project concluded she secured a short term internship at an intellectual property law firm in Hyde Park. Three months later she was appointed by another firm as a Candidate Attorney and began her articles in October 2021.
Articles proved to be one of the most demanding periods of her career. The pace of legal practice, long hours and the pressure of workload pushed her to reconsider what she wanted her professional life to look like.
Reconsidering the Traditional Path
Cekiso-Mapuma persevered and completed her articles in October 2023. At the time she had been informed that the firm did not have the capacity to retain another associate once her articles ended.
Two months before completing articles she also discovered that she was pregnant with her second child. Shortly afterwards the firm reconsidered its position and offered to retain her after all. By then, however, she had reached a moment of deep reflection about the direction she wanted her life to take.
Articles had forced her to confront the realities of traditional legal practice and the cost it placed on family life. Looking back, she realised that the demands of the profession had already meant missing moments in her son’s early years.
She ultimately declined the offer.
At the time she did not yet have a clear alternative plan. What she did know was that continuing along the same path would come at a cost she was no longer willing to accept.
Admission and a Moment of Uncertainty
In January 2024 Cekiso-Mapuma was admitted as an attorney while eight months pregnant with her daughter. It was a deeply meaningful milestone and the culmination of years of study and sacrifice.
Yet almost immediately after the celebration came a difficult question. What next?
She had already started a small business but knew it would need to evolve if it was to align with her long term professional direction. Determined to continue building her career, she began applying widely for roles across law firms, health and safety consultancies and training providers.
The response was discouraging. Applications were carefully prepared and sent daily, yet rejection followed rejection.
She recalls the period as emotionally difficult. “I remember moments of profound despondency, questioning why doors seemed to remain closed despite my qualifications, experience and effort. I remember crying and asking God why nothing was opening.”
Clarity arrived gradually. At some point she realised that despite the range of qualifications and professional experience she had accumulated, she was still waiting for someone else to choose her.
That realisation shifted her perspective.
“Instead of seeking employment, I began looking for opportunities to collaborate, consult and create,” she explains. “I allowed myself to explore a career structure that could hold all the things I was passionate about – law, health and safety, training and community work, without having to sacrifice one for the other.”
Designing a Career That Works
Today the structure of her work reflects that shift in mindset.
Cekiso-Mapuma works as a Consultant Associate at a law firm where she is briefed in when additional legal capacity is required. The role allows her to work across general litigation matters while maintaining flexibility over how she structures her time.
Alongside this she operates as a Health and Safety consultant. “I support companies with the development, implementation and ongoing management of occupational health and safety programmes”. She also conducts health and safety training for organisations that require practical compliance support.
Beyond consulting and legal work she has built a wellness community for women centred around fitness, motivation and self care. Through this space she curates monthly challenges, weekly focus points and affirmations that encourage women to pursue healthier lives with consistency and compassion.
She is also the founder of LM Collections, an athleisure clothing line designed for women who want clothing that is comfortable, versatile and suited to both movement and everyday life.
Most importantly, this structure allows her to remain present for the moments that matter most at home. She is able to attend school events, manage school runs and remain fully engaged in family life.
“My work no longer competes with my life,” she says. “It complements it.”
Rethinking What a Career Can Be
One of the most common misconceptions about her journey, Cekiso-Mapuma says, is the belief that a successful career must follow a single path.
“There is often an assumption that success requires choosing one direction and remaining on it indefinitely,” she explains. Her own experience has shown her that careers can evolve in more complex ways.
Over time she came to see that what once appeared to be a series of career pivots was in fact something closer to weaving. Each role, qualification and experience added another layer of capability rather than replacing the previous one.
“What once appeared to be instability was actually preparation,” she reflects. “My career was not being dismantled. It was being built.”
Faith, Partnership and Purpose
At the centre of Cekiso-Mapuma’s journey is her faith, which she describes as the constant source of guidance when the path ahead felt uncertain.
“What has guided me throughout this journey is my faith in God,” she says. “A faith rooted in the belief that He sees beyond what I can see.”
That belief has required trusting her instincts even when others struggled to understand the choices she was making.
She also credits the support of her husband as a defining part of her journey. His belief in her vision, she says, turned what could have been a solitary struggle into a shared commitment.
“He did not merely believe in my vision,” she explains. “He chose to make it his own.”
Together, those foundations of faith, partnership and purpose have shaped a career path that is still unfolding, but one she now recognises as entirely her own.
