Senior lecturer and Advocate of the High Court, Maqutu obtained a Bachelor of Arts (BA) and Bachelor of Laws (LLB) degrees in 1994 and 1996 respectively from the then University of Natal. She went on to complete a Master of Laws (LLM) degree in Medical Law 2010 and another LLM degree in Constitutional Litigation in 2012 at UKZN. She completed her PhD in 2020. The title of her thesis was ‘The Postcoloniality of Labour Law: A South African Perspective.’ She spent more than 15 years in legal practice primarily in criminal litigation, prior to joining the School of law.
She has a keen interest in the plight of the marginalised members of South African communities and the manner in which the law has historically been a barrier to their access to resources and to the realisation of their full potential.