Deputy chief justice Mandisa Maya laid bare some of the problems crippling the proper functioning of our courts during her Judicial Service Commission interview on Tuesday.
These problems include increased caseload, overworked judges, poor infrastructure and even safety concerns for judges. The judiciary is one of the most important arms of the state and its proper functioning is at the heart of the functioning of our democratic dispensation.
But according to Maya, the conditions under which judicial officers work are deplorable. These include safety concerns for some of our most senior judges in the country. She highlighted increased caseload at the Constitutional Court for example had radically changed her life in the 20 months she has served at the court.
"I have not worked as hard in my entire life as I have in the last 20 months," she said.
"A part of the reason why we hardly have time to breathe has a lot to do with the manner in which we work. I do believe there are a few things we could tweak to streamline our operations and give ourselves more time to breathe.”
Maya further said the ConCourt received no less than 400 new applications for leave to appeal a year but that the court doesn’t set down more than 40 matters for hearing.
This is a shameful situation and an anomaly that should concern all of us interested the administration of justice. However, the problems she brought to the fore were not limited to the apex court as she also outlined poor facilities and safety concerns for judges could potentially hamper the delivery of justice for ordinary South Africans.
We must applaud judicial officers for continuing to do their very important work under such circumstances. South Africans are entitled to a judiciary that is functioning optimally in good facilities to provide justice to those who most need it.
To effectively adjudicate cases coming before them our judges need to be supported, protected and well resourced. For years complaints about the poor state of our courts have been raised and it would appear they have fallen on deaf ears. We must therefore ensure that Maya’s pleas do not suffer the same fate.
SOWETAN | Fix our courts' problems
Image: Veli Nhlapo
Deputy chief justice Mandisa Maya laid bare some of the problems crippling the proper functioning of our courts during her Judicial Service Commission interview on Tuesday.
These problems include increased caseload, overworked judges, poor infrastructure and even safety concerns for judges. The judiciary is one of the most important arms of the state and its proper functioning is at the heart of the functioning of our democratic dispensation.
But according to Maya, the conditions under which judicial officers work are deplorable. These include safety concerns for some of our most senior judges in the country. She highlighted increased caseload at the Constitutional Court for example had radically changed her life in the 20 months she has served at the court.
"I have not worked as hard in my entire life as I have in the last 20 months," she said.
"A part of the reason why we hardly have time to breathe has a lot to do with the manner in which we work. I do believe there are a few things we could tweak to streamline our operations and give ourselves more time to breathe.”
Maya further said the ConCourt received no less than 400 new applications for leave to appeal a year but that the court doesn’t set down more than 40 matters for hearing.
This is a shameful situation and an anomaly that should concern all of us interested the administration of justice. However, the problems she brought to the fore were not limited to the apex court as she also outlined poor facilities and safety concerns for judges could potentially hamper the delivery of justice for ordinary South Africans.
We must applaud judicial officers for continuing to do their very important work under such circumstances. South Africans are entitled to a judiciary that is functioning optimally in good facilities to provide justice to those who most need it.
To effectively adjudicate cases coming before them our judges need to be supported, protected and well resourced. For years complaints about the poor state of our courts have been raised and it would appear they have fallen on deaf ears. We must therefore ensure that Maya’s pleas do not suffer the same fate.
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