Female law professionals celebrates Women’s 100 years

POLOKWANE – Female law professionals enjoyed the presence of the country’s youngest judge. Marissa Naudé-Odendaal, Limpopo acting judge president, Violet Semenya and other accomplished women counsels during Friday’s Celebration of Women’s 100 years in the profession at the Limpopo High Court.

Young and old gathered at the Attorney’s Lounge for hours of engagement on the history of women in the profession, relating stories of how deep many of them had to negotiate tough terrain to be regarded as equally capable to male counterparts.

Others reflected on the popular phrase “You are not worthy, My Lady”. that had been used to minimise women’s capabilities many years before the revolution.

Many honoured the theme and dressed in colourful clothing as opposed to the formal black and white expected of those in the profession.

From a variety of questions, some students, learners and candidate attorneys asked the more accomplished women how they reached the top when strategic and managerial positions are still held by men.

A prominent challenge for junior law professionals seemingly lay in having to resist requests for sexual favours in exchange of their progress being fast-tracked by their superiors.

Semenya conceded that the tendency had otherwise been normalised but should, in fact, be guarded against as it is detrimental to one’s career in the long run.

“While it looks like the easiest way out, trust and believe that you will lose that superior’s respect forever, and it will catch up with you in the workplace when they become your equal. Instead, they will be so afraid to face you when they remember how hard you worked your way to the top and had actually refused blatantly to be used negatively into reaching your place in this noble profession,” Adv Mmakosha Mahafha remarked.

Naudé-Odendaal from Louis Trichardt was proud to narrate her humble beginnings and later, a previous marriage filled with physical and emotional abuse, to encourage the junior members about what she said were “endless opportunities in the field that required solemn hard work”.

“We cleaned fields for R20 a day back home just so we could survive. And when I got the opportunity to act, I would drive over 100km to attend matters with my newborn wrapped and placed underneath the table. I would adjourn sittings just so I could feed the baby and continue. But I knew the dream and I held on. Today no one can claim my victory,” she said.

The women, however, were glad about the progress made in the recognition of women in general in the legal profession and enjoyed lengthier talks around the possibility of a female judge-president or even a chief justice in the near future.