Justice ministry implements measures to lessen water, electricity outages

JOHANNESBURG - The Department of Justice and Constitutional Development has implemented measures to mitigate the power and water challenges at various courts countrywide.

The department says working together with the Department of Public Works, generators were installed at 153 courts and are fully functional during load shedding.

Earlier this year, the Gauteng High Court in Pretoria was forced to suspend operations due to power outages while the High Court in Johannesburg was forced to do the same due to water outages.

The disruptions have impacted the adjudication of cases in a busy division with a tremendous backlog.

In a written reply to a parliamentary question, Minister Mmamoloko Kubayi highlighted the measures taken by the department to ensure the work of courts continues as explained by the spokesperson, Terrence Manase.

“For power supply issues, it has installed generators, explored renewable energy options, integrated power solutions into new infrastructure projects, and engaged with Eskom for potential load shedding exemptions. 

“The minister said to mitigate water shortages, the department has installed water tanks, boreholes and pumps. Additionally, efforts to improve infrastructure include renovating and upgrading court facilities with multiple courts already refurbished.”