Durban: Navilla Somaru may not have the power to change the world just yet, but in her new position as the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) in the Free State, she plans to make a difference the best way she knows how.
With seven years of experience in the Director of Public Prosecution's office, Somaru aims to help reduce crime, increase feelings of safety and build a secure province.
She said this would be done by ensuring her team worked at their optimum and that impactful prosecution becomes every prosecutor's priority.
"The capacity, expertise, skills and experience of prosecutors is paramount in the administration of justice. I will work closely with my team to ensure the rule of law prevails, that there is efficient administration of justice, and the rights of all individuals, victims and accused alike are safeguarded."
Somaru, 52, grew up in Ladysmith in KwaZulu-Natal. She attended ML Sultan Primary School and matriculated in 1987 from Windsor Secondary School.
When she and her two brothers were younger, they also attended Hinduism for Children classes at the Ramakrishna Centre of South Africa's branch in Ladysmith.
"We are still devotees of Sri Ramakrishna. When I attended university in Durban, I lived at the Sri Sarada Devi Ashram in Asherville."
Somaru obtained her BA in law in 1991 and LLB honours in 1994 from the University of Durban-Westville (now UKZN). She then served her articles at PM Jugwunth Attorneys in 1994.
In 1995, Somaru joined the Department of Justice as a prosecutor and four years later, she was admitted as an Advocate of the High Court.
She then secured the position of a senior public prosecutor in Mmbatho in 2003 and went on to become the chief prosecutor in the Welkom Cluster in 2007. Somaru moved to Bloemfontein that year.
In 2015, she acted as deputy director of public prosecutions at the office of the DPP in Bloemfontein. That year, she obtained a certificate in cyber and electronic crime from the University of Pretoria.
In 2017, she took on the position of Deputy DPP, while obtaining her Master's in criminal law from North West University (NWU). She was made acting DPP in March 2018 until her permanent appointment this year.
As if this was not enough, Somaru is currently pursuing her doctorate in Law at NWU.
Somaru has prosecuted a wide range of cases from farm, taxi violence and gang killings, sexual offences and corruption.
"I’ve learned from every single case. I had an excellent conviction record and a high finalisation rate. In 2002, I received the award for the Best Regional Court Prosecutor in the country. Even now, I still prosecute even though I'm in management. Every now and again, I will take on a case and go to court."
She is also the recipient of the Justice Ismail Mohamed Award from the South African Law Reform Commission.
On her appointment as DPP, Somaru said: "I worked hard and gave off my best in everything that I did. I can’t change the world, but I can certainly make a huge difference in the space that has been allocated to me."
She thanked her parents for teaching her values and morals in a loving and devout Hindu home, and for shaping her into the woman she was today.
"I am grateful to my parents, Dolly Singh and the late Captain Rousham Lutchman Singh, for teaching me the value of selfless work, helping others and giving freely to those in need. They have emphasised the importance of an education and I was encouraged to speak my mind and do my best at all times.
"I am also grateful to my husband and my children for their support. Most importantly, I give thanks to God and my spiritual master for this wonderful opportunity."
She described her appointment in the province as a paradox.
"This was a province which previously had legislation prohibiting Indians any right of residence, employment, carrying on of any business or farming in the Free State. At best, Indians could only remain in the Free State for a maximum of 24 hours and that too with a permit. A lot has changed over the years and there is much to be grateful for."
As the new DPP, her initial plan is for skills transfer and staff retention.
"I would like to retain skills and experience, so that mentoring, upskilling and skills development, especially of our fledgling prosecutors, is actively prioritised and practically implemented.
"I am busy developing a mentorship programme for the division where new prosecutors will be paired with an experienced prosecutor either on a case basis or for a certain time frame so that practical, real-time skills transfer takes place."
Somaru is married to advocate Bishum Somaru for 27 years. He is a senior state advocate with the asset forfeiture unit. They have two children - Ranesh and Vaibhav - who are both in university.
In Somaru's spare time, she enjoys reading, decoupage and fabric painting.
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