Confusion at Polokwane court over case venues and times

POLOKWANE – Uncertainty and confusion over times, venues and cases.

These are some of the complaints received from those who have to attend cases at the Polokwane high court.

The high court building is home to both the high court and the magistrate’s court since the magistrate’s court building burned down in October 2012.

Cases for both are thus heard on these premises.

“You don’t know which courtroom to go to for a specific case and the prosecutors cannot help you either, because they also don’t know,” one woman said.

“One prosecutor explained to me that they use different courtrooms every day and the courtrooms are only available to them from 11:00, after which regional cases are heard,” she continued.

The department of justice should do something about the matter, a person who had to testify in one case, said.

“The cases are supposed to start at 09:00 and we are expected to be here by 08:30, but eventually wait until 11:00 for a case to be heard.

An insider at the court spoke to Review on condition of anonymity.

The following problems were experienced:

• There is not enough space for the personnel of the magistrate’s court at the high court bulding.

The prosecutors don’t have offices, they work in the library. They don’t have space to meet with clients and have no privacy.

• There are about five magistrates and they have to share office space. Three magistrates share one office and the other two have to work in a conference room.

• Prosecutors don’t have access to computers or printers, or copy machines or faxes.

A public prosecutor referred Review for comment, saying officers of the court are not allowed to speak to the media.

By the time of going to print, Mthunzi Mhaga, spokesperson for the department of justice had not provided comment.