NNP slams Kahn on Cape courts

2003-03-11 21:10

Cape Town - It was time the Judge-President of the Cape, John Hlophe, and the Western Cape Director of Public Prosecutions, Frank Kahn, put their heads together to address the slow progress of criminal cases through the Cape High Courts, the New National Party said on Tuesday.

The party's spokesperson on justice and constitutional development Sheila Camerer was responding to media reports quoting Kahn as saying the Cape High Courts were unproductive and went on recess too often.

Hlophe blamed a number of other factors and the large number of awaiting trial prisoners clogging up local jails.

Kahn is quoted in Die Burger as saying the Cape High Court was one of the "few in the world which closes while crime does not go into recess".

His remarks followed a decision by deputy judge president Jeanette Traverso to close three of the 12 criminal courts in the Cape High Court until the end of March as there were not enough judges available.

Camerer said that while the number of awaiting trial prisoners - who accounted for more than a third of South Africa's 190 000 prisoners - were one of the major blockages of the criminal justice system, exchanges between top officials in the Cape's justice system were not helpful.

"Some of the points mentioned by Hlophe, a shortage of court orderlies, delaying tactics by both defence and prosecution and delays by correctional services in bringing prisoners to courts are also endemic problems which the relevant roleplayers seem incapable of solving," Camerer said.

She said a shortage of judges in the Western Cape was also a problem which was being aggravated by the law relating to minimum sentences.

"The Minister of Justice is able to appoint more acting judges to alleviate the backlog," Camerer said.

- SAPA