By Kevin O’Reilly
The Cape Law Society (CLS) has appointed Rampela William Mokoena (51) as the society’s director from October. He takes over from Nalini Gangen, who left the law society in April 2012.
Mr Mokoena was previously an investigator at the Attorneys Fidelity Fund (AFF) in the forensics department. Before joining the AFF, Mr Mokoena held the position of business development official at the Law Society of the Northern Provinces (LSNP) from 2003 to 2011.
Mr Mokoena, once a sole practitioner, was also a partner at Ndaba, Mokoena & Partners Attorneys from 1993 to 2001.
He was admitted as an attorney in 1992 and holds a BProc from the University of Zululand.
In addition, Mr Mokoena previously participated in the board and the Legal Chamber of the Safety and Security Sector Education and Training Authority (SASSETA) for two years.
Mr Mokoena said that one of his aims as director was ‘to maintain but, more importantly, enhance the good relationships the law society has already established with its broader stakeholder base’. He added: ‘The office should strive to re-engage the broader membership community with their law society.’
Mr Mokoena said that what appealed to him about the position were the challenges and responsibilities it would present. ‘It gives me an opportunity to, in one sense, apply and, in another, to test, my perceptions and theories about leadership and management in general. Recognising the bigger picture (the importance and potential impact of the impending Legal Practice Bill in transforming the profession), the position affords one the opportunity to participate early on in the endeavours leading thereto,’ said Mr Mokoena.
Having worked at both the AFF and the LSNP, Mr Mokoena said that he had attained a ‘broader and closer understanding of the day-to-day issues pertaining to the profession and how to deal with them’. ‘These skills will certainly help in the position,’ he added.
Kevin O’Reilly, kevin@derebus.org.za
This article was first published in De Rebus in 2012 (Nov) DR 9.
