A prolonged electricity outage has disrupted proceedings at the Alexandra Magistrate’s Court, leading to cases being repeatedly postponed.
This includes the recent high–profile bail application of Bellarmine Chatunga Mugabe, son of the late Zimbabwean president.

Democratic Alliance member of parliarment and justice spokesperson Glynnis Breytenbach, who joined Johannesburg mayoral candidate Helen Zille on an oversight visit to the court and surrounding areas, said the situation at the court is unacceptable. “It is ongoing and unacceptable, and we will certainly raise it with the minister on an urgent basis. When I go back to Cape Town, I will have a conversation with the chairperson of the portfolio committee, and we will call the minister urgently.”

Read more: Mugabe and Matonhdze abandon bail and opt for plea negotiations

The outage left the court unable to function properly. On March 3, when Mugabe’s bail hearing was postponed, the court did not have any electricity. Days later, when he returned to court, he was faced with similar challenges. Although the facility is equipped with a generator, it remains inoperable.

Breytenbach noted that Alexandra is not the only court in this position. “Either the generator is broken or there is no fuel. Which is not helpful. You might as well not have a generator.”

She warned that repeated postponements carry steep consequences, particularly for those of limited means. “People who spend a large portion of their very limited financial resources to get here are going to have to spend it again. Quite possibly, they will come again and be turned away. So, the minister urgently needs to attend to these matters.”

Meanwhile, Zille pointed out wastewater flowing along 2nd Street, as well as pavements obstructed by street vendors as barriers to accessing justice. “Obviously, lack of water is a regular one, but then access to the court over the sewage flowing on the streets and blocked pavements from all the vendors is a massive problem for the application of justice.”

Also read: Court blackout delays bail hearing for Mugabe and co-accused

Zille also criticised the Alexandra renewal project, launched more than two decades ago with an initial budget of R1.3b. Records show that, a decade after its start, R2.21b had been spent, according to findings from the South African Human Rights Commission and the public protector. “In 2019, so little had been delivered that the Human Rights Commission and the public protector looked into it and said there had to be proper accounting for what had happened to the money.”

She alleged corruption and misspending had stalled progress, adding that a forensic audit was needed. “We would need to have a forensic audit to find out what happened to the [R2.21 billion according to verifiable sources], because you cannot possibly spend R3b on a place and have it look like this.”

Johannesburg officials have acknowledged the challenges. Regional director Thaba Makgafela confirmed service delivery problems near the court, describing the road infrastructure as a bit of a challenge due to the absence of storm water drains. He said the Johannesburg Development Agency had been tasked with developing a repair programme.

Alex News reached out to the department of justice and constitutional development for comment. More information will be shared once it becomes available.

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