Manzini magistrate has a backlog of over 10 000 cases

There is a backlog of over 10 000 cases at the Manzini Magistrate’s Court due to the shortage of judicial officers.

Chief Justice Bheki Maphalala said the second session of the Supreme Court had commenced with 103 cases on the roll.
However, he said not all the cases would be reviewed due to the shortage of judges.

The CJ was speaking yesterday during a visit to the Manzini Magistrate’s Court alongside members of the Judicial Service Commission (JSC).
He said all the cases that required a full bench of five judges would be stalled and only those requiring three judges would continue.
He decried the serious shortage of staff members in the judiciary.
Maphalala said currently, there were 468 judicial officers, which was meagre compared to the number of courts.

As such, this had created a backlog.
He made an example that at Mliba Circuit Court there was only one magistrate handling 1 800 cases, adding that for the Manzini Magistrate’s Court, there was a backlog of over 10 000 cases due to the shortage of judicial officers.

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He said it was unfortunate that the JSC did not have the power to employ judicial officers as it relied on the ministry of public service for recruitments.
Maphalala added that they had written to the ministry of public service, and indicated the number of judicial officers that need to be employed.
However, up to date, there had been no feedback.

“The shortage of staff is the biggest problem that we have in the judiciary. “we hope the ministry of public service will soon assist in filling these gaps,” he said.
During a tour around the Manzini Magistrate’s Court, Principal Magistrate David Khumalo informed the JSC that most of the courtrooms needed burglar doors, benches and air conditioners.

He said in most of the courtrooms, the recording system was no longer functional.
Khumalo added that some of the courtrooms and offices had leaking roofs and faulty lighting.
He further disclosed that the furniture in some of the offices was old and needed to be replaced.
The tiles were also worn out, as well as dysfunctional toilets.

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