POLOKWANE – The reconstructed Polokwane Magistrates Court on the corner of Bodestein and Landdros Marè Streets will officially be opened by Ministers Sihle Zikalala (Public Works and Infrastructure) and Ronald Lamola (Justice and Constitutional Development) this morning.
The court was destroyed in a fire in late 2012 and the opening will mark a 12 year wait for the completion of the building.
At a cost of R82.8m, reconstruction on some parts of the building only commenced seven years after the fire, in October 2019 and was completed on March 7, 2023, according to a statement by the Department of Justice and Constitutional Development.
While the building has been in operation, today marks the official opening.
The newly rebuilt court boasts state-of-the-art facilities, including 10 courtrooms that will comprise of five regional court rooms, four district court rooms and one equality court room as well as 18 holding cells.
“The premises will also boast 120 parking bays (48 covered parking spaces for judiciary, NPA, and administration and 72 open parking bays for the public and other stakeholders) making the court easily accessible to the public,” the statement read further.
Read more in next week’s Observer.
