Magistrate protest continues
2013-03-20 18:03
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Johannesburg - The nationwide protest by magistrates was
continuing on Wednesday, the Judicial Officers' Association of SA (Joasa) said.
"Unfortunately we haven't had any progress from an
engagement point of view. All we are faced with is threats and investigations
from every sphere," said Joasa president Nazeem Joemath.
"We wish they could have used the same energy and vigilance
to address our problems as they are [in] trying to conduct inquiries."
Joemath said the magistrate commission had been in his
office conducting an investigation, and had spoken to several people.
He said the magistrates' position had not changed, and if
the justice department had not responded to their demands by the end of the
week, the protest would escalate.
Justice department spokesperson Mthunzi Mhaga was not
immediately available for comment.
The Office of Chief Justice Mogoeng Mogoeng could also
not be immediately reached on Wednesday afternoon.
Joemath said on Tuesday that despite what the justice
department said, 70% of courts were disrupted countrywide by about 1 300
magistrates striking on Monday.
There were disruptions in several district and regional
courts in parts of the country on Tuesday on the second day of the protest.
In Port Shepstone on the KwaZulu-Natal south coast, one
magistrate postponed all the cases on his roll, Mogoeng's office said in a
statement on Tuesday.
In Pinetown and in Madadeni most cases were postponed
while in Nquthu, criminal courts were only carrying out postponements.
At the Randburg Magistrate's Court, none of the 12
permanently appointed magistrates, who are supporting the protest, were doing
trials.
"They were still reportedly at work and carrying out
other judicial functions," Mogoeng's office said.
Six acting magistrates and the acting heads of the office
were assisting with trials.
"In the North West, the magistrates' protest action
was limited to courts in Moretele and Odi," Mogoeng's office said.
On Monday, Mhaga said courts were functioning normally in
all nine provinces "with no disruptions".
Magistrates want a single pay structure for the
judiciary, one that would have their salaries and benefits put on the same
sliding scale as those of judges.
This could see their salaries increase by almost 100%.
A dispute over the salary increase forms part of a matter
before the before the Constitutional Court.
- SAPA
