Deputy Ministers visit Port Shepstone Magistrates’ Court
The Deputy Minister of Justice and Constitutional Development, Mr John Jeffery (MP) and his counterpart, the Deputy Minister of Public Works and Infrastructure, Ms Noxolo Kiviet (MP), visited Port Shepstone on Monday, 9 November, to assess the new Port Shepstone Magistrates’ Court.
Subsequent to the visit to the new court they went to see the current court. A number of resolutions were taken, such as interim plans to renovate and revamp areas such as roof leaks, air-conditioning and paintwork.
Of notable and conspicuous reflections were the significant delays in the construction of the new court which were experienced when the original contractor, Basil Read, was placed under voluntary business rescue in 2018. The contract was considered as being cancelled by the Department of Public Works and Infrastructure. The insolvency of Basil Read which led them to be placed in the business rescue was beyond the control of the Department of Public Works and Infrastructure. Numerous attempts were made by the Department of Public Works and Infrastructure to find an amicable solution for the project to be completed. Those efforts were, however, unsuccessful as the contractor’s interest was salvaging financial resources to rescue Basil Read. This, unfortunately, led to an unavoidable dispute which is currently in an ongoing litigation process.
The two Deputy Ministers, accompanied by senior officials from their respective Departments, undertook a site visit and then held a series of meetings to further discuss plans for the completion of Port Shepstone Court as well as interim solutions for accommodation and facilities issues at the current court.
“We are extremely concerned about the condition of the new court and the equipment that has already been installed. The community expects a completed and well-functioning court so that service delivery can take place.
”It is therefore becoming increasingly difficult to manage the expectations of our stakeholders and members of the public who have already staged demonstrations at the current court in Port Shepstone,” said Deputy Minister Jeffery.
A number of plans were also put in place to mitigate possible further delays in the process of completion of the court. The Department of Public Works and Infrastructure has embarked on a process to procure a service provider to complete the remaining work at the new court.
“Our Department is committed to ensuring the speedy finalisation of this project so that proper service delivery can take place in Port Shepstone,” said Deputy Minister Kiviet.
Enquiries:
Steve Mahlangu
Deputy Director: Media Research and Liaison
Department of Justice and Constitutional Development
Tel: +27 12 315 1623
Cell: +27 79 878 7587
Email: stmahlangu@justice.gov.za
