Deputy Minister John Jeffery pays unannounced visit to Pretoria Magistrates’ Court

The Deputy Minister of Justice and Constitutional Development, Mr John Jeffery, paid an unannounced visit to the Pretoria Magistrates’ Court yesterday, 23 April 2024. The visit follows reports of alleged service delivery issues at the Court.

The Deputy Minister also wanted to ascertain how the restoration of the Court was progressing, as a large part of the building is under construction after suffering a devastating fire in October 2010 which rendered the historical landmark building uninhabitable.  A total of approximately 100 officials were previously accommodated in the part of the building which was damaged and 17 court rooms were lost.

The Deputy Minister, accompanied by Mr Charles Mohalaba, the Deputy Director-General: Court Services and other senior officials, arrived at the Court unannounced at 14h00 on Tuesday.  The court staff were on duty and serving the public and there were no queues from members of the public wanting to access justice services.

With regards to the courts themselves, the Deputy Minster found that the District Courts were sitting and matters were proceeding in most of these courts. There were few Regional Courts sitting and the Deputy Minster has asked for a report on the performance of each of the Regional Courts on the day in question, with a view of pursuing the matters if it appears that there were problems.

A number of infrastructural concerns, such as certain non-functioning air conditioners, improved lighting and water supply on the upper floors, were flagged for urgent follow-up with the Department of Public Works and Infrastructure.

Overall the Deputy Minister was satisfied with service delivery levels at the Court and found that courts were sitting, cases were being heard and justice services were being delivered.
“As is the case, with all Magistrates Courts, our Department will continue to monitor the delivery of justice services being offered at the courts, as well as continuing to attend to issues such as the maintenance of infrastructure and the provision of staff.

With regards to the number of active court hours, these are continuously being monitored and our Department continues to work with all other role-players in the justice system, such as the Magistracy, the National Prosecuting Authority, Legal Aid SA and private legal practitioners, to ensure that our courts run smoothly and efficiently,” said Deputy Minister Jeffery.

With regards to the construction, a restoration project was registered to bring the building back to its original state and construction commenced in 2015. However, hazardous black mould and asbestos was detected in certain areas of the building and the Department of Labour issued a Prohibition Notice to vacate the site. Construction work recommenced in 2017, but the contractor’s appointment was later terminated due to poor performance.

A replacement tender was advertised in 2020 and a new contractor was appointed in 2023. The anticipated completion date is May 2025 and the anticipated handover is August 2025.

“We are confident that by this time next year the restoration and refurbishment of the court will be far advanced and, once completed, the new Court will greatly enhance the further delivery of services to the public,” said Deputy Minister Jeffery.

Enquiries: 
Mr. Chrispin Phiri 
Spokesperson: Ministry of Justice and Correctional Services 
Cell: 081 781 2261