Bakker's resignation a huge blow to many

AFTER 28 years of service in the justice system, deputy director of prosecutions in the Eastern Cape Hannelie Bakker intends to take her knowledge of the law elsewhere.

Bakker 51, resigned last month to do pupillage with the Eastern Cape Bar Council, ensuring that her vast legal experience will not go to waste.

But the sassy, bright Bakker, who often had criminals quaking in the dock, will be missed by her peers and the many advocates who served under her.

"I am very excited. I am not leaving the office because there is a problem. This is a new season for me. It is not an emotional decision," Bakker said.

She matriculated from Robertson High School in the Western Cape in 1981 and later enrolled at the then University of Port Elizabeth (UPE) for a BJuris and later her LLB.

Bakker's resignation has come as a huge blow to her colleagues at the Eben Donges Building, her boss, Advocate Lungi Mahlathi, said.

Mahlathi, the national director of public prosecutions, was among the friends and colleagues who paid tribute to and was full of praise for the lively and spirited Bakker.

"Frankly speaking, this is a blow to me. I have worked with Bakker since 1997.

"She later grew to the position of deputy director of public prosecutions and is quite experienced. However, I did not want to stand in the way of her growth," he said.

Mahlathi said Bakker, while still a senior public prosecutor at the Port Elizabeth Magistrate's Court in North End, was tasked with training and supervising junior prosecutors. - Hendrick Mphande