Man atones for his wrongs

A man’s brush with the law has turned him into its enforcer.

This is the story of Solomon Ramapatla (48), who believes that to err is human and that one’s destiny is shaped by accepting and atoning for past errors through good deeds.

Ramapatla was recently re-appointed by the Alex Magistrates’ Court as a court interpreter in his second stint in the position. The first time was at Ga-Rankuwa Magistrates’ Court between 2009 and 2010.

In between the appointments, he spent time doing menial construction work and cleaning jobs, which also made him appreciate the values and skills gained from other professions and improved his philosophy about life.

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Ramapatla’s said his fate as an interpreter was sealed after a regrettable moment of madness on Friday, 9 August 2009, when he claimed a provocation by his wife at their Garankuwa home drove him to lash out at her resulting in his arrest. He was charged with domestic violence and detained over the weekend. On the Monday, he was released with a warning after he opted to represent himself when the interpreter in his case misrepresented the facts in his home language, Tswana. His understanding of the language helped the presiding magistrate to make a ‘fair’ release decision and he asked for Ramapatla’s CV after he was informed of Ramapatla’s versatility in Nguni, seSotho dialects, Venda, Tsonga, English and Afrikaans.

Despite a failed reconciliation attempt with his wife after returning home, he drafted his CV from his parents’ home and submitted it the next day, Tuesday. Shortly afterwards he was engaged as a volunteer interpreter and learned the ropes for three months. Thereafter he became a casual interpreter in the divorce court until November 2010, when the post ended.

He added that his knowledge of the law was gained through regular exchanges with other interpreters, expert legal guidance and an introduction to the Criminal Procedures Act.

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In 2011, he became a labourer in the construction industry, and from 2012 was a cleaner for a private company at the Master of the High Court in Joburg until 2015, when he was transferred to Alex. While cleaning, he doubled as an interpreter when time allowed, and his understanding of law and his passion were recognised, leading to his re-engagement this month (June), when the post became available.

Ramapatla said lessons learnt along one’s journey should be embraced as foundations to better progress in life, but only if one is prepared to embrace change. “They are the single steps to gaining life skills and experiential knowledge about life and a secure future. There will always be light at the end of the tunnel if you embrace the lessons learnt in whatever way,” he stressed as advice, particularly to those who get despondent with menial jobs.

He urged them to be passionate when performing any task or job. And, as he did while at the Garankuwa Magistrates’ Court, he hopes to contribute to hundreds of fair rulings through a truthful interpretation of the cases.

Details: Solly Ramapatla 072 933 9456.

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