As a quest to improve court services in South Africa, the Deputy Minister of Justice and Constitutional Development, Andries Nel, visited the Johannesburg Magistrate Court on Wednesday, 27 January 2010. During his unannounced visit, the Deputy Minister was accompanied by the Chief of Staff and some officials from the department.
He later attended the weekly management meeting at the Chief Magistrate’s Office, Mr Gert Jonker. During the meeting the Deputy Minister raised concerns which contribute to inefficiency in the South African legal system. “When I arrived here this morning, I only found the Magistrate and the Legal Aid official in one of your courts but some officials were not present for duty,” said the Deputy Minister.
Mr Nel emphasised proper management of resources and cited his visit as part of the tasks assigned to him by the President of South Africa. He said this would not be for his own good but for the benefit of the country.
The Deputy Minister said, “I hope my unannounced visit did not distract you while I still believe that 2010 is going to be a landmark year in which things will be done better and faster. I am not here to pre-empt the State of the Nation Address but officials must work together to improve the justice system in the country.
He said he had an opportunity to talk to prosecutors and “I saw a couple of police officers sitting in the court instead of being out there to fight crime.” The meeting was also attended by among others the Senior Magistrates for civil and criminal cases, some court managers in Gauteng and the South African Police Services (SAPS) members.
Some concerns were raised such as ill-disciplined clerks of the court who would disappear during office hours.
There were also concerns about the court interpreters’ lack of discipline and poor filing of court cases in the Hillbrow court. Johannesburg Court Manager, Mr Vicky Strydom, promised to make a follow up on the challenge and attend to the problem. Another challenge for the Hillbrow court was lack of sufficient computers as a result of budget constraints.
When asked about the new Child Protection Act which will be in full operation with effect from 1 April 2010 and training of Magistrates regarding the Act, Mr Strydom said this will be implemented.
The Deputy Minister cited ‘Fighting Crime’ as one of the government’s five key priorities which are interlinked to efficient service delivery. These key priorities he said “are interlinked and need to operate together for the betterment of the lives of South Africans. There are small things which have a major impact in the country’s service delivery.” He urged the managers to work together and be committed to the basics such as punctuality in the workplace.
In his speech the Deputy Minister defined the justice system as a complex and diverse machinery. “If one part of the machinery is taken out then it will negatively affect the whole machinery, he said.
The Chairperson of the meeting, the Chief Magistrate Mr Gert Jonker, said issues of discipline and proper administration in the workplace were previously discussed and “we are trying our best as the leadership.”
The issue of statistics reaching the Deputy Minister on time for perusal were also discussed and this was confined as a challenge for both the regional courts and regional offices.
There was a suggestion to introduce a new Criminal Justice System to fast track the process. Responding to this the Deputy Minister said “We are already looking at the System whether we should give certain judicial powers to the jurists to be proactive. If we don’t get the five priorities right it means we a re not going anywhere.
Mr Nel quoted the former President of South Africa, Dr Nelson Mandela, during the Rivonia trial. “We have to either submit or fight,” he said.
In closure the Deputy Minister said public servants are paid for their daily routines. He further reminded the attendees of what President Zuma said. ”South Africa is a free country and people who are not ready to serve the public, are free to leave the public service,” he concluded. He further quoted the Minister of Basic Education, Angie Motshekga, when she said, “there is nothing like dysfunctional schools but dysfunctional things which must be sorted out.”
Mr Gert Jonker said they were pleased by the Deputy Minister’s visit and promised to work collectively with the supervisors.
Issued by: Department of Justice and Constitutional Development
1 February 2010
Source: Department of Justice and Constitutional Development (http://www.justice.gov.za/)
