Deputy Minister of Justice Johnny de Lange is concerned about newspaper reports of magistrates saying they feel under such pressure that they give judgements contrary to what they would normally give.
Recent media reports said criminals are targeting judges, magistrates and court prosecutors, who are now calling for beefed-up security to protect them.
De Lange was speaking in the National Assembly on Tuesday in response to a member’s statement by Sheila Camerer of the Democratic Alliance, welcoming Cabinet’s moves to protect judicial officers, prosecutors and other public officials.
De Lange said: ”I find [it] completely astounding that someone can sit on the bench and say that they feel so pressurised by someone or something that they give a judgement not in line with their conscience or what the facts of the case demand. I find that completely astounding.
”And, I must say no one has ever brought that to anyone’s attention. No one has ever told us they are under that kind of pressure when they’re giving judgements, and I find that a very unfortunate comment made by those persons.
”And I would actually like them to come out publicly and tell us who they are. We’ll try and then deal with it and give them the necessary protection,” De Lange said.
Earlier, Camerer said the DA has repeatedly pointed out in Parliament that the country’s beleaguered prosecutors and judicial officers are not sufficiently protected from the criminals they deal with in terms of the Department of Justice’s security arrangements.
It had been estimated that 2 000 security personnel are needed at a cost of about R500-million to secure them, but R45-million has been allocated.
The list of attacks in the past year include a prosecutor stabbed by a poison-bearing syringe in court, another forced off the road by a gang trying to steal a docket and another terrorised by a gang at home.
A woman magistrate was stabbed in the head by a knife-wielding prisoner in Worcester, another woman magistrate was attacked by an accused at the Roodepoort Magistrate’s Court and a woman prosecutor was attacked by an accused in the Bellville Court toilets.
”Very often woman court officials bear the brunt of these attacks. Hopefully the new police unit will go some way to addressing this situation,” Camerer said.
De Lange said the security of judicial officers is a very serious issue.
”For some time now we have been trying to develop a much more integrated and holistic policy around this matter; around all security matters in our courts, as well as security of the judicial officers.
”But while we are developing that policy, we have not sat back and done nothing.”
Many programmes and projects have been undertaken to respond immediately to some issues.
These include the special police unit set up to guard and give security to key points, including courts.
Individual threats to judicial officers are also fully evaluated and the necessary security measures put into place. Further security measures have also been installed in courts.
”Not enough, not in all of them, but it’s a step forward,” he said.
Judicial officers have also raised the issue of installing alarm systems in their houses, because ”apparently that was done under the apartheid government”.
”So we are considering that as well to see what can be done in that regard,” De Lange said. — Sapa