There’s a new sheriff in town and she means business
Annah Ralehlaka made her way into a law firm as a messenger, and with patience and determination, made her way up to become the Sheriff of Polokwane.
POLOKWANE – “I have been a sheriff for five years now and it has been challenging and busy but I have learned a lot through the years. This is not an easy job but I am a strong and hard working woman hence I have managed. It took dedication because at some point I was doing this job while raising my children,” she explained.
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Undettered by her position as a messenger, she held onto her dreams of one day owning her own law firm. Annah now functions as an executive arm of the court, with her office responsible for serving court processes such as summonses and subpoenas.
She also plays an important role in the execution of court orders like the attachments of immovable and movable property; evictions and demolitions among others.
After completing her matric, she enrolled for a senior secretarial course at a college in Polokwane and thereafter started working at a retail shop before being appointed as a messenger at the then Botha Horak Attorneys Inc.
She was later promoted to a senior typist and later as the Collections-Civil Head of Department where she also acquired the skills to translate documents from Afrikaans to English.
During her time at the law firm, she decided to further her studies and obtained a diploma in business management, certificates in labour relations and frontline skills raining. After being appointed as the Sheriff of Polokwane, she went on to serve at the South African Sheriff Society where she is currently the Secretary of the Limpopo branch.
She has also served on the advisory committee, shortlisting and interviewing other sheriffs. She also assists with the mentoring of new sheriffs and also assists the sheriffs’ board in arranging their needs based training.
She was appointed as the Sheriff of Polokwane by the Minister of Justice and Correctional Services in 2012.
“Being a sheriff of the court of law comes with its tricky moments where you are sometimes mandated to execute evictions, property attachments and removals of assets belonging to your family, neighbours and the people you know. You have to execute court mandate without fear or favor,” she concluded.
