Judges face daily chaos at court

Other problems at the Johannesburg High Court, notes The Star, include incorrectly transcribed judgments; a shortage of stationery and furniture; and malfunctioning lifts and air-conditioning. An investigation by the newspaper found the building in a state of disrepair, and the justice system in chaos. Judges said the problems had been going on for a number of years and it appeared the Department of Justice was unable to fix them. Judge Kathy Satchwell pointed out the poor security, and recounted her own experience when she was confronted by two strangers in her office. It was easy for any member of the public to gain access without being noticed. There was no proper control system. One judge said lack of security exposed them to many aggrieved members of the public. Another problem was that, in most cases, the lifts were not working. When judicial officers were stuck in a lift, cases were delayed. The judges also pointed out that Bench books were often unavailable. One judge lamented that the whole system of the administration of justice had collapsed. The filing system was in a mess and court papers often went missing. Full report in The Star (subscription needed)

Responding, Justice Department spokesperson Zolile Nqayi acknowledged there were problems at the court but said they were fixing them. The department had appointed a full-time Registrar and court manager to sort out the mess, The Star quotes him as saying. On security, he said they were upgrading the access control system, which would be completed by the middle of next month. Nqayi admitted there had been a shortage of Bench books because the government printer had been out of stock for almost three months. The matter had now been resolved. Measures had been put in place to address problems with files, incorrect orders and transcription services. Full report in The Star