Justice and Constitutional Development Deputy Minister Andries Nel has sent a warning to would be wrongdoers that South Africa’s courts cannot be turned into a place for criminal activities, following a fatal shooting incident at the Athlone Magistrates Court on 5 September.
The incident is the latest in a growing trend of violence at judicial facilities, with similar incidents occurred this year at the Mitchells Plain and Wynberg Magistrates Courts in the province, and another incident at Melmoth Court in KwaZulu-Natal.
“As the judiciary and the executive, we are united in the struggle to ensure that our courts are places of safety where people can come…to exercise their Constitutional rights.
“We are at work. There are things that we can and are doing immediately. We don’t have to wait to work smarter to ensure that the police are here in greater numbers. We don’t have to wait to make use of technology to make use of remand hearings through video to obviate the need for prisoners to be transported from prison to court.
“I have committed that we will coordinate a meeting with the Minister of Police in this week…to ensure that we strengthen the ties between justice, the judiciary and the police and other departments like Public Works that are responsible for the infrastructure of our courts,” he said.
Western Cape Judge President, Nolwazi Mabindla-Boqwana echoed the deputy minister’s sentiments – calling for strengthened collaboration in fighting back against the “scourge”.
“It is too frequent, and it was important for us to come here with the deputy minister to show the community that we care, and we are doing something about the safety of the courts.
“The attacks against the court precinct are attacks and contempt against our democracy. They are attacks against the administration of justice. So, it is important for us to work together collaboratively and have an integrated plan to how we can work against a scourge.
“Our people should not be afraid to come to court. Our people should not be afraid to come to work. They should feel safe around the courts. It is time for us to say no,” Mabindla-Boqwana said.
Meanwhile, Parliament’s Portfolio Committee on Justice and Constitutional Development Chairperson, Xola Nqola, noted the incident with “grave concern”.
“These incidents seem to be on the increase, especially in the Western Cape. The authorities need to re-look at the security measures currently used to secure our court precincts. We need to ensure the safety of officials, presiding officers and the public at large.
“The committee would like to express its deepest condolences to the family and friends of the deceased. We further call on the public to assist authorities in making our communities safe again, by speaking out against criminal activities,” Nqola said.
