“When I woke up from that dream, I knew that I had to make the law accessible to everyone. And I knew how I was going to do it.”

Lowvelder reports that for jurist Henk Roelofse, a dream has taken shape as Cecile, an AI platform designed to place reliable legal information in the hands of anyone with a cellphone. While Cecile relies on advanced technology, it was born out of a commitment to public service.

A career rooted in access to justice

Roelofse’s career reflects a consistent focus on using the law to assist others. During his pupillage he helped rural communities in disputes with mining interests and later worked on land-claim matters affecting dispossessed communities. He has also provided pro bono legal assistance to the Mpumalanga office of the South African Human Rights Commission and trained pupil advocates in Mbombela and Pretoria. In recent years, he served on the bench of the Mpumalanga High Court.

Cecile is a natural extension of that philosophy: That the law should not exist only for those who can afford it, but should empower people and strengthen access to justice. When Lowvelder met Roelofse, that ethos was evident. He arrived in his Honorary Rangers uniform, on his way to assist at a fundraiser. His excitement about the venture was palpable.

From idea to innovation

The idea for Cecile was sparked by a practical act of assistance. After helping convert PDF-based legal documents into readable text, Roelofse realised how accessible legal information could become. Within days, the concept began to take shape. About a week later, a dream confirmed it. “I knew that I would make the law accessible to everyone,” he explained.

The system was also shaped by a familiar frustration. Traditional legal databases rely on Boolean searches, producing large volumes of information that users must sift through. Context, Roelofse realised, is critical.

Cecile addresses this by asking users questions to refine their query, before extracting relevant information from legal sources in real time. Despite having no programming background, Roelofse built the platform himself.

“I did not know how to programme at the time, but I was guided by something higher during every step of this process,” he said. As the platform took shape, it was clear that Cecile was meant to be.

How Cecile works

Training the system, he explained, was ‘almost like raising a child’, teaching it how to approach, research, refine, and present legal answers. Cecile includes safeguards to ensure accuracy, providing neutral, source-based responses with built-in verification checks.

The platform operates in various official South African languages and can respond across jurisdictions worldwide. It is accessible via web, WhatsApp and SMS, allowing even those without data to obtain legal information.

For Roelofse, accessibility remains central. “The dream has become a reality – any South African can now access accurate legal information in seconds,” he said. From a Sandton high-rise to rural Mpumalanga, ‘the same ability now belongs to everyone… the concerned mother… the debtor faced with a sheriff… the GBV victim who cannot get to an attorney’s office’.

Not a replacement for lawyers

He emphasised that Cecile is not intended to replace lawyers, but to empower people with baseline legal knowledge. He also acknowledged the broader legal community.

“It is not as if I am the sole creator. Without the thousands of legal minds publishing legal information, Cecile would not have been possible.”

The platform’s name reflects its purpose. Cecile is named after Caecilia Metella Dalmatica, a Roman figure who bridged old and new structures – ‘exactly what I wanted to do with Cecile,’ he said.

During the interview, Roelofse demonstrated the platform’s ability to answer questions across jurisdictions and languages with speed and accuracy.

Access and cost

Cecile offers users their first three queries free, with low-cost options thereafter. Roelofse said he has carried the development costs himself, motivated by the belief that access to legal information can prevent harm. “In life,” he said, ‘if you can take existing things and put them together in a way that helps people, then you should do it’.

And that is precisely what he has done – bringing the law within reach of anyone with a cellphone.

Visit global.askcecile.com – Depending on users’ antivirus software, Cecile’s URL may need explicit classification of the website as safe to use.

---

Breaking news at your fingertips… Follow Caxton Network News on Facebook and join our WhatsApp channel.

Nuus wat saakmaak. Volg Caxton Netwerk-nuus op Facebook en sluit aan by ons WhatsApp-kanaal.