Courts not always to blame for backlogs, says deputy justice minister

Deputy minister of justice & constitutional development John Jeffery has attributed the backlogs in some of the country's courts to the number of role players in the criminal justice system.

Jeffery was speaking on Friday during the official opening and handover of the Chatsworth magistrate’s court which received a R203m facelift by the department of public works.

“The backlog is particularly in the regional courts where there are more serious cases. We have had more regular meetings to address the issues and there are a number of role players which are involved,” said Jeffery .

He said court sittings were also being hampered by accused people who try to delay proceedings with the hope that some of the evidence will disappear.

“Other tactics also include the changing of lawyers and the dockets which are not fully completed. It is something we are concerned about and we always want matters to be fully adjudicated speedily,” said Jeffery.

The court boasts seven different district court rooms and one regional court and smaller court rooms.

The opening of the court comes months after justice minister Ronald Lamola opened the Port Shepstone court where construction was marred by contractors going into business rescue and havoc caused by business forums hijacking projects.

There are other projects in the pipeline in KwaZulu-Natal. One such project is Umlazi’s regional court which has been forced to sit in Chatsworth. Jeffery also called for an end to corruption in the Chatsworth community saying the town should be a no-go zone for corruption.

“I know there is a big problem of drugs in this community. Nobody should ask you for money to make a docket disappear or have the matter remanded,” he said.

Ethekwini executive committee member Nkosenhle Madlala hailed the new facility, saying it would go a long way towards enhancing access to justice for the community.

“We are equally concerned about the high crime statistics in Chatsworth,” said Madlala.

He said the municipality was doing its part to curb high crime levels by increasing the metro police intake to 400.

“What we want to do is to reach a lofty goal of 5,000 metro police personnel in the foreseeable future.” He said they were also investing in smart policing using technology to alleviate the scourge of crime.

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