Advocate Radhika Marimuthu
A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step. This proverb is perhaps apt to define the pages of success in life’s book of Advocate Radhika Marimuthu, who was recently acknowledged by Interpol, the International Police Association, for her achievements following a course for the Investigation of Transnational and Organised Intellectual property (IP) crime and for the Investigation of Transnational and Organised Intellectual Property (IP) Crime.
Growing up and attending school in the vast township of Chatsworth, this tenacious woman elevated and empowered herself from a support component in the South African Police Service to a warrant officer, where she served her tenure of duty at SAPS Malvern. Her innate will to succeed and surmount the obstacles garnered her a well-deserved rank to captain, which further elevated her achievements that she so magnanimously collected in her 32 years of service in the SAPS.
Marimuthu’s untenable triumph was further crowned when she was admitted as an advocate at the high court in Pietermaritzburg by Judge Koen and Judge Gorven. However, the road to success as we know is not entirely paved in gold. Success is defined with challenges that hone our skills and define our characters. Marimuthu’s determined spirit, her resolute will to augment her legacy and never taking “no” for an answer was the result of her changing the rules of life’s game.
Attending evening classes during her practical legal training meant that she had to tweak and re-adjust the hours in her day that necessitated her fulfilling her many roles of mother, daughter, wife, employee and student. The support of her family was tantamount to her distinguished success. Marimuthu’s story is one of grand accomplishment coupled with her zealous trait to raise the bar in all her endeavours whether professionally or personally.
Her passion, though, lies in serving her community and having their best interests at heart. This has been indicative but not limited to her many crime awareness, school-based, community-driven and senior citizens outreach programmes which have been her trademark at SAPS Malvern. For Marimuthu, the profound words of inspiration by Tata Madiba are close to her heart. It has been an impetus that has spurred her on.
“Education is the great engine of personal development. It is through education that the daughter of a peasant can become a doctor, that the son of a mine worker can become the head of the mine, that a child of farm workers can become the president of a great nation. It is what we make out of what we have,” she said. Marimuthu’s advice to women is: “A woman should always propagate her independence irrespective of who she is, who she marries, lives with, or who her family ties are with. It is in this very independence that she can shape her goals, outline her visions, and create, mould and live the blueprint of her life.
“Great women took the world by storm because they believed in themselves and surmounted the many challenges. There is no such thing as one goal. We have to set many goals on life’s journey as part of our growth emotionally, financially and universally. After each milestone it’s important to introspect, go back to the drawing board, re-assess and redefine our next goal. The mind should not be stagnant but should rather be fixated on a myriad of successful ideas for self growth. Never let anyone tell you that any goal is impossible for whatever reason they forward. You can, you must and you will.” Marimuthu holds a Bachelor of Arts Degree in Police Science, Honours Degree in Bachelor of Arts, an impressive LLB Degree, obtained her practical legal training that she qualified with merit at UKZN and also holds qualifications in practice management (Legal Practice Counsel) and Investigation of TransNational Intellectual Property Crimes (Interpol).
