Every weekday morning at 9am, attorney and conveyancer Nompumelelo Xulu walks into the Pietermaritzburg Deeds Office, files in hand. For her, integrity isn’t a tagline; it’s the operating system of her firm, NS Xulu Inc., a 100% black female-owned specialist in property, conveyancing and notarial law.
“If I did it my way, I’d do it right and ethically,” she says. “Integrity is how we compete.”
When she left her corporate post in 2017, Xulu carried more than ambition, she carried conviction. She describes herself then as “the square in a round hole.” But conviction demands persistence.
Her first big obstacle? To join a major bank’s conveyancing panel she needed professional indemnity cover costing R7 500, a sum she had to build from scratch.
At NS Xulu Inc., integrity is embedded in every step: client funds are held in trust accounts and disbursed the day a property registers. Costs, timeframes, and compliance requirements are explained clearly ahead of time.
“As soon as the property is registered, the money must hit your account,” she says.
This kind of transparency matters in a market where many property transfers struggle. For context: the average South African property transfer takes around 3 months (90 days), even though in efficient cases it can happen in as little as 50 working days.
A bold decision in 2024 saw Xulu open a Pietermaritzburg office to lodge deeds directly instead of outsourcing to agents. This now means NS Xulu Inc. improves turnaround times and builds quality control internally. The firm plans to convert this into a lodgement service lane for other firms by 2026.
But trust isn’t just for clients. Xulu built governance safeguards: dual-check payment systems, documented workflows, and a culture of accountability. Her first hire – a paralegal – recently graduated from UNISA, growing in confidence and capability. “Watching her growth reminds me: when you invest ethically, you build sustainably.”
Black female representation in the legal field is still marginal. As of recent industry stats, women make up about 42 % of attorneys in South Africa. In addition, black women account for about 15% of practising attorneys.
Against that backdrop, Xulu’s deliberate hiring of young black women is a powerful act of transformation. She sees in them reflections of her own journey.
Driven by the many horror stories she’s witnessed such as purchasers paying unscrupulous sellers directly, losing deposits, or being misled, Xulu launched the NS Xulu Inc. Property Law & Conveyancing Podcast, to help South Africans understand matters related to property transfers, conveyancing costs, FICA, compliance certificates, transfer pitfalls, and more.
“So many losses are avoidable,” she says. “A quick check with a conveyancer can save someone’s life savings.”
When NS Xulu Inc. handles transfers, they also draft the sale agreement free of charge which is a safety net for clients in an area rife with risk.
Her valuable advice means that clients with transparent processes, clear communication, and trusted conveyancers are far less vulnerable to backlogs at the deeds office.
Two years after founding, Xulu was honoured with the Women’s Property Network Young Achiever Award (2019), a signal that her values were turning heads. Today, with two offices, more conveyancing panels, growing staff, and national ambitions, she remains principled.
“Integrity attracts trust, and trust brings clients,” she says. “If you do right by people, the work follows.”
In the delicate balance of property and law, trust can tip a deal. NS Xulu Inc. demonstrates that integrity isn’t a soft value, it’s a competitive edge. By building systems, talent and transparency around ethics, Nompumelelo Xulu is not just running a firm, she is trying to change what legal care feels like in South Africa.
“Integrity is the brand,” she says. “It’s what keeps our doors open and our clients returning.”
NS Xulu Inc is a participant business on the SAB Foundation’s Tholoana Enterprise Programme.
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About the Author
Terrena Rathanlall is the SME Media Portfolio Manager at Fetola.
