Johannesburg - The office of the chief justice (OCJ) has remained mum over the alleged closure of the South Gauteng High Court in Johannesburg.
This comes after City Press reports indicated that the court had been “forced to close its doors indefinitely with immediate effect due to intensified load shedding by Eskom along with the failure of the Office of the Chief Justice (OCJ) and the Public works Department to provide it with a reliable back-up power source”.
According to media reports, the Johannesburg High Court has been forced to take its hearings online as a result of ongoing power cuts.
Gauteng Deputy Judge President Roland Sutherland said all matters before the Johannesburg High Court would, by default, be heard via video link going forward, adding that an ad hoc directive would be issued should a judge decide to hold a matter physically.
“In the unopposed courts where multiple matters are heard, such consultation is not feasible, and if the judge decides to vary the hearing to be physical, an ad hoc directive shall be issued by that judge on the Friday before the relevant week.
“In trials where the parties can offer a suitable alternative venue to the satisfaction of the judge seized on the matter, they are encouraged to do so.”
Sutherland said the Eskom issue had made it impossible for the court to conduct its business. He said another contributing factor was the failure of the OCJ and the Public Works Department to provide the court with a reliable back-up power source.
“This arrangement shall continue until the OCJ and the Department of Public Works can provide appropriate back-up facilities to cater for load shedding. No indication can be given of when that might eventuate, if at all,” said Sutherland in a notice to all judges, law societies, the National Prosecuting Authority and others.
Attempts to get comment from the office of the chief justice remained unfruitful at the time of going to print.
The Star