A group of 15 Grade 12 girls received firsthand knowledge of the law in practise a fortnight ago

The Makhado Legal Aid South Africa took the group through the field of law when law practitioners at the Legal Aid Centre and the Louis Trichardt Magistrate's Court explained how the law industry operates.

This was part of the “Take a Girl Child to Work” project, which aims to expose girls to a wide range of law careers and work environments. The project manager, Samuel Moloto, said that it was in the best interest of Legal Aid South Africa to introduce the youth to the law and encourage them to take up the law as a profession.

“We will also be taking boys through this project, under the flag Man in the Making,” Moloto said, when Limpopo Mirror quizzed him about the viewpoint of the Legal Aid South Africa regarding boys.

District public prosecutor Annelize Hofmeyr told the girls about the duties of her office, not excluding the ups and downs, likes and dislikes about the office. “A child testifies that she was brutally raped and you have to protect her standing by having her prove her claims,” she said. “We do not have to tackle cases through emotions, but it's always hard to suppress one's emotions in cases of brutality. We give arguments based on available evidence.”

Legal Aid attorney Ms Phenyo Mudau explained to girls that they needed to obtain an LLB in order to work as an attorney. “There's a strong need for more females in the legal fraternity, and I am happy that we are exposing these girls to the field of law,” Mudau said. “I feel that the field is still male dominated and that the females must study hard if they want to penetrate into the field, to occupy senior positions.”

A pupil, Tintswalo Chabane, said she had learnt a lot on the project. “People think an attorney lies to people for money, but it is really about the well-being of all citizens,” Chabane said.

The pupils came from five schools, namely Masedi Combined, Murunwa Private School, Louis Trichardt High, Emmanuel Christian School and Makhado Comprehensive Secondary School.