The Constitution must be upheld
ADVOCATE Rachel Makhari-Sekhaolelo is committed to gaining the trust of the people and prosecuting lawbreakers without fear or favour.
The 60-year-old married mother of two was recently appointed the director of public prosecutions in the North West.
Following the resignation of advocate Moipone Noko, advocate Makhari-Sekhaolelo had been an acting director of public prosecutions since March 2021.
She said her appointment came at a time when the performance of the National Prosecuting Authority was under public scrutiny and that it required leaders with a vision and mission to turn things around.
Makhari-Sekhaolelo also believed that through her appointment, the NPA would be made stronger in its fight against crime and corruption.
“I am fully committed to ensuring
that our Constitution is upheld and justice is served. I will work tirelessly to ensure there is accountability within the establishment.”
Makhari-Sekhaolelo intends to focus on initiatives to improve staff morale and inculcate a culture and a desire to work harder.
“I intend to continue strengthening community participation through continuous engagements that would educate people on how the criminal justice system functions, with a focus being on community prosecutions.
“I also intend to expose them to all the services these institutions are mandated to render.”
Makhari-Sekhaolelo has more than 30 years of prosecutorial and management experience. She holds a B Juris degree (1986), a diploma in human rights from Sweden (1996), an LLB degree (2013), a Master of Laws (2015) and a Doctor of Laws (2021).
Makhari-Sekhaolelo started her career as a district court prosecutor in the Thohoyandou Magistrate’s Court in 1988.
In 1997, she was promoted to control prosecutor, and two years later, she was made a senior public prosecutor.
In December 1999, Makhari-Sekhaolelo was appointed chief prosecutor of the Mmabatho Cluster in the North West Division.
She fulfilled this role for 22 years until her appointment as acting director of public prosecutions last year.
Makhari-Sekhaolelo was also previously shortlisted for the position of national director of public prosecutions and has been part of various delegations that were appointed to undertake fact-finding missions around the world.
“I was part of a delegation that went to the United States in 1998 to observe how their court systems functioned.
“I have been to London on a fact-finding mission aimed at observing their court functionality and their investigation systems, in 2013.
“I was also delegated to Germany to share experiences with prosecutors and police in 2021.”