"The country-wide situation regarding both the outstanding and the backlog cases (per court level) in the lower courts has improved significantly in the third quarter [of last year]," he told reporters in Pretoria.

The number of backlog cases at that time was 29,604.

"At the end of March last year, 34,926 cases were backlog cases, representing 17.4 percent on the outstanding roll of 200,532 cases.

"At the end of December 2012, this was reduced to 29,604 backlog cases, representing 16.2 percent of the outstanding roll of 194,725 cases."

Radebe said this meant that regional and district backlog courts had removed 17,245 cases from the court rolls between April 1 and the end of December last year.