Yolokazi Magaqa

I am a motivated and detail-oriented LLB graduate and legal practitioner with over three years of professional experience including litigation, family law, criminal law and corporate law. I am skilled in communication, problem-solving and handling inquiries with professionalism and empathy. I demonstrate excellent analytical and interpersonal abilities, ensuring efficient resolution of client concerns while maintaining high standards of service delivery.

I am adept at managing confidential information, interpreting policies and working effectively under pressure. I am committed to upholding high professional standards while serving the public and contributing to the effective functioning of the Department. Notably, due to my advanced legal skills, prior experience and deep procedural knowledge, my responsibilities at the Department of Justice frequently exceeded the scope of a standard internship.

I effectively operated as a Legal Administration Officer, independently managing my own dedicated office space and taking direct individual accountability for complex legal matters allocated to me by the senior directorate.

Legal Administration Officer (Legal Intern) at Department of Justice and Constitutional Development- International Legal and Treaty Affairs (2026-01 – 2026-07)

• Support work relating to Mutual Legal Assistance, Extradition and Transfer of Sentenced Offenders
• Assist in the drafting, reviewing, and editing of international agreements
• Verify legal request documents from different countries and ensure compliance with SADC Protocol and Extradition Act
• Drafting Mutual Legal Assistance (MLA) memorandums to the Minister and Director-General and correspondence
• Conduct legal research on extradition laws, legislation, treaties and relevant case law
• Assist in handling incoming and outgoing Service of Process requests between countries
• Liaise with NPA, OCJ and DIRCO to facilitate proper service of legal documents
• Assess incoming and outgoing MLA requests for legal sufficiency and completeness
• Monitor and track the execution and return of service documents
• Maintain and update treaty records and databases

Legal Intern at Department of Justice and Constitutional Development- Ministry (Office of the Deputy Minister Hon.

Andries Carl

Nel) (2025-03 – 2026-01)

• Ministerial Advisory & Briefings: Drafted high-level memorandums and brief notes directly for the Deputy Minister regarding key strategic branch units delegated to his office, including the State Law Advisor, SOLCA, Legislative Development, Constitutional Development, International Relations and Legal Services. Assisted directly with processing documentation for the strategic executive appointments of acting Magistrates.
• High-Profile Litigation Research: Conducted advanced, deep-dive legal research into sensitive state litigation matters, including prominent high-profile cases, providing legal assessments to guide ministerial decision-making.
• Public Governance & Entity Oversight: Supervised and monitored the functional powers, mandates and operational duties of external statutory organs and institutions reporting to the Ministry, specifically overseeing Legal Aid South Africa, the South African Human Rights Commission (SAHRC), the National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) and the Information Regulator.
• Executive Communications & Speechwriting: Conducted comprehensive background research and drafted authoritative ministerial speeches, including developing detailed opening and closing remarks for executive addresses. Professionally managed all sensitive ministerial correspondence, processing high-profile letters, digital communications, telephone queries and public walk-ins.
• Public Complaints & Dispute Resolution: Managed the centralized public grievance tracking systems by receiving, logging and formally acknowledging administrative complaints from citizens, ensuring strict professional standards and confidentiality were maintained across all public dispute resolution channels.

Legal Administration Officer (Legal Intern) at Department of Justice Liability and Litigation Management (Legal Service) (2024-05 – 2025-03)

• Constitutional Challenges & Memorandums: Prepared in-depth legal research and drafted formal memorandums to guide the Minister on active constitutional challenges brought against national legislation administered by the Department. Provided expert legal opinions on diverse litigation portfolios affecting the state structure.
• Civil Litigation Management: Performed comprehensive legal administrative and procedural duties for civil litigation matters brought before the Magistrate Courts, High Courts, Supreme Court of Appeal and Constitutional Court. Managed the processing and assessment of Rule 53 review application in terms of 53 of Uniform Rules of the Court.
• State Attorney Interfacing & Briefing: Prepared comprehensive instructions, organized evidential packages and formally briefed the State Attorney to handle downstream court proceedings on behalf of the Department. Supervised the comprehensive delivery of administrative support to the Minister, Deputy Minister, Master's office, NPA and other directorates within the Department.
• Commercial Vetting & Compliance: Conducted professional drafting, reviewing and vetting of diverse commercial agreements, Service Level Agreements (SLAs), Memoranda of Agreement (MOAs) and Memoranda of Understanding (MOUs) to enforce statutory compliance with national legal requirements imposed by national legislation (Acts) and court orders.
• Financial Recoveries & Claims Management: Spearheaded departmental liability assessments, managing the investigation of Losses of State Property and State Money, transport liability claims and Comprehensive Debt Recovery workflows.

Candidate Attorney at Thobakgale Attorneys Inc. (2022-04 – 2024-04)

• Digital Court Filings & Systems: Mastered online South African legal administration platforms to efficiently serve, file and track all legal notices, summonses, applications and pleadings utilizing CaseLines, Court Online and provincial high court portals.
• Legal Research & Analytics: Conducted advanced legal research, analyzed intricate documents and prepared authoritative legal opinions utilizing LexisNexis, JutaStat and the Southern African Legal Information Institute (SAFLII) databases.
• Litigation Support & Pleadings: Drafted foundational court documents, including notices of motion, summonses, pleas of guilty/not guilty and bargaining agreements. Assisted advocates directly with high-stakes litigation, pre-trial strategies and appeals heard in the High Court, Supreme Court of Appeal and Constitutional Court.
• Court Appearances & Client Advocacy: Conducted formal court appearances across the CCMA, Maintenance Court and District Magistrate Court. Led client consultations, managed bail applications and handled complex third-party matters such as Road Accident Fund (RAF) and unlawful detention/arrest claims.
• Commercial & Family Law Workflows: Formulated various contracts, including employment agreements, lease documents, agreements of sale, MOAs and MOUs. Utilized CIPC e-Services and the Deeds Office registration systems (e-Deeds) for corporate and property background verifications. Managed domestic relations portfolios, including structuring formal parental rights, responsibilities agreements and arguing Section 6 and Section 10 maintenance inquiries before presiding magistrates.
• Practice Management: Maintained strict internal file arrangement systems, organized client records, drafted detailed briefs to external Counsel and executed general Candidate Attorney administrative duties in alignment with Law Society compliance standards.

Practical Legal Training (PLT) – Law Society of South Africa (LSSA LEAD) (2022 – 2022)

Bachelor of Laws (LLB Degree) in Law – Walter Sisulu University (2021 – 2021)

National Senior Certificate (Grade 12) – Little Flower Combined School (2016 – 2016)