Mr Groenewald matriculated at Hoërskool Port Natal in Durban and completed his compulsory military service in Simon’s Town, Cape Town.

He obtained his BProc and LLB degrees, as well as an Advanced Diploma in Labour Law, from Rand Afrikaans University (now the University of Johannesburg) in Johannesburg.

He was admitted as an Attorney in 1997, as a Conveyancer in 1998, and as a Notary Public in 2003.

Prior to relocating to Newcastle in 2003, Mr Groenewald practised as an attorney in Vryheid for five years.