For most of her career she has practised as an advocate in different capacities, starting off as the manager of the Legal Aid Clinics at the Rand Afrikaans University (UJ) and as in-house counsel at the UNISA East Rand Law Clinic.

Later she joined the Legal Services of the South African Police Service where she was, inter alia, the Regional Head of Legal Services in the Northern Cape, the National Head of Litigation and Constitutional Development, the National Head of Labour Law and the National Head of Human Resources (Legal), developing legally sound policies. She played an important role in the development of policies and legislation during the transitional period after 1994, and left the South African Police Service with the rank of Major General.

Involvement with matters concerning children, mediation, parenting plans and parenting coordination

For the past 13 years she has focussed on children in family matters and resolving conflict between parents through mediation. She has, amongst other things, represented numerous children in court proceedings.

She has vast experience in mediation, including mediating in various kinds of family matters, labour matters and matters in the corporate environment. She also has vast experience in mediating and drafting of parenting plans. She manages a mediation programme, initiated by SAAM, at the Children’s Court in Pretoria North.

She is currently acting as parenting coordinator in several matters.

She has served on a panel for the Public Service Administration to chair disciplinary matters concerning senior public servants.

Over the past few years she has become more and more involved in representing learners in disciplinary hearings at various schools with a focus on trying to resolve matters rather than ending up in a hearing.

She has special knowledge of the Schools Act and the policies and procedures involved in disciplinary matters.

She was a member of the team that represented South Africa at the United Nations in New York for the negotiation of the International Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disability.

She has been the chairperson of various boards of directors, ranging from the board of a children’s home for girls who have been sexually abused or exploited (Makeba Centre), to a retirement facility (Sederberg), as well as a welfare organisation (Rata). She was also a member of the executive committee of the Northern Cape Welfare Board. Currently she is the Chairperson of the Board of Directors of Employment Solutions, which operates a protective workshop involving160 beneficiaries with various disabilities and which works for employment opportunities for persons with disabilities in the open market.

In addition, she has been in a leadership position in various other organisations, ranging from those dealing with children born with cleft lips and/or palates, parents who had lost children, the Women’s Organisation of her church, and the Women’s Bureau of South Africa.

She has also received The Star newspaper’s “Women of our Time” award.

Her life philosophy is that everything negative that happens in life can be changed into something positive.

Her focus is on solving problems, building relationships and acknowledging the rights of children and vulnerable persons.

She believes in rendering a high-quality professional service, at fees anyone can afford.