The Minister of Justice and Correctional Services, Adv Michael Masutha, appointed 25 regional court magistrates to fill vacancies at offices in the regional divisions for Eastern Cape, Free State, Gauteng, Limpopo, KwaZulu-Natal and North West on 21 July 2016.

In addition, he appointed 4 senior magistrates and another 1 regional magistrate who will serve as Judicial Educators at the South African Judicial Education Institute (SAJEI). The five posts have been created by the Minister with the view to capacitate SAJEI with appropriate capacity to ensure the training and development of magistrates. The Minister is confident that their appointment will improve the quality and training of judicial officers.

The appointments follow recommendations made by the Magistrates’ Commission which is responsible for the selection of suitable candidates for appointment as magistrates.

These appointments are in line with the department’s transformation imperatives. Out of the total number of senior magistrates appointed 13 are African females, six African males, four Indian females, four Coloured males, one White male, one White female and one Coloured female. 19 out of the 30 newly-appointed magistrates are females (60%).

“These efforts have been undertaken to ensure that the country’s courts are adequately resourced to deal with case backlogs, among others, and also to ensure that the magistracy is given optimal support by the department,” said Minister Masutha.

 

Issued by Department of Justice and Constitutional Development