Justice delayed? Hundreds of court judgments outstanding 'but vast majority of judges delivering on time'
The latest Reserved Judgment Report reveals that 1,723 judgments were reserved for October/November last year. We talk to Judges Matter's Mbekezeli Benjamin.
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702's John Perlman talks to Mbekezeli Benjamin, researcher at Judges Matter.
The latest Reserved Judgment Report for the Chief Justice indicates that there's been a slight increase in outstanding judgments at the start of the fourth term in 2024, from the previous term, of 233 such cases.
It says 1,723 judgments were reserved as of either 7 October or 1 November last year.
According to the latest list, the Pretoria High Court had the highest number of late judgments at the start of the 2024 fourth term with 55 cases outstanding for over six months.
Mbekezeli Benjamin from research and advocacy project Judges Matter explains how the three-month and six-month periods for judgments work.
"It is expected that judges deliver judgments as quickly as possible, because these outcomes can affect so much of our lives... The standard is that you must deliver it within three months of the last hearing date when the case was reserved, but there is an allowance for a further three months depending on the complexity of the case and the nature of the issues involved."
Mbekezeli Benjamin, Researcher - Judges Matter
When looking at the latest figures, it's relevant to consider where a judge is based, Benjamin says.
As an example he cites the High Court in Gauteng, which handles 52% of all civil cases in the country, with Pretoria also the busiest high court in SA.
"It's the court that handles the most cases that involve national government departments and so the judges there are almost always inundated with work. For us then, it's not surprising when you see that a judge of Pretoria is the one that holds the dubious title of being the 'tardiest' of all judges."
Mbekezeli Benjamin, Researcher - Judges Matter
Benjamin also notes that, even though the latest report does show a slight increase, there has been a steady drop in the number of reserved judgments over the years.
"The number of judges who're listed on the report are reducing, so that means the vast majority are delivering judgments on time. We're also seeing the number of judgments that are outstanding reduce - in previous times the numbers were close to 2,000."
Mbekezeli Benjamin, Researcher - Judges Matter
For more detail, listen to the interview audio at the top of the article