Magistrates who will interview in the April 2021 JSC interviews
Interview preview: current and former magistrates on the path to high judicial office Prior to 1994, judges were only appointed from the ranks of senior counsel (advocates) at the Bar. These judges were almost exclusively white men. Today things are different. In accordance with our constitution, the judiciary is required to ‘broadly reflect the racial […]
Urban Traditional Courts in South Africa
The DGRU recently assessed the functioning of Urban Traditional Courts in South Africa with the intention of gaining a better understanding of the state of corruption in the lower courts.
Let’s talk about bail
In this article we try and explain what bail is and isn’t. Bail is not a punishment for the crime you have committed, it is simply a means to ensure that you come to trial.
Magistrates Commission interviews 2020
The Magistrates Commission (‘MC’) is a statutory body established in terms of section 2 of the Magistrates Act, No. 90 of 1993 (‘the Act’). The purpose of the MC is to, inter alia, conduct interviews of magistrates for permanent appointment and thereafter advise the Minister of Justice and Constitutional Development or to make recommendations to […]
Launch of Magistrates Matter
The Democratic Governance and Rights Unit (DGRU) and Judges Matter, at the University of Cape Town were thrilled to officially launch their new project Magistrates Matter and their latest research project on the Magistracy in South Africa via a Zoom meeting on Thursday 29 October 2020. We were honoured to be joined by distinguished guests; […]
The realities of the Magisterial System
The most recent Afrobarometer survey (2018) indicates that 32% of citizens say that most or all magistrates and judges are corrupt. A further 47% of South Africans say that some magistrates and judges are corrupt. Moreover, 47% of citizens surveyed have no or little trust in magistrates. Today, concerns around corruption in the judiciary are […]
Key findings Magistrates’ survey
In our survey of South Africa’s Magistrates’ perceptions of their working environment which was conducted through an online survey between the 20 September to 18 October 2019 we were presented with the following data… Survey’s key findings The Magistrates we surveyed were demographically broadly reflective of the total number of magistrates in South Africa and […]
About Magistrates’ perceptions survey
Our research looks at magistrates’ own perceptions of their workplace (the courts); the perceptions of ordinary people who use the courts; and analyses the kinds of misconduct issues that are dealt with by the Magistrates Commission and the system of dealing with misconduct. This report deals with the first of these – magistrates’ perceptions of their own work environment.
The appointment process of judges and magistrates
In this post we take a look at how judges and magistrates are appointed in South Africa. This article was first published on Judges Matter. Do you have to act as a magistrate or judge before you get appointed? In South Africa judges are appointed by the President of the Republic on the advice of the […]
Types of courts in South Africa
We offer a simple overview of the different kinds of courts in South Africa, together with the types of disputes they may hear, and where you can appeal or review their decisions. South Africa’s lower courts Traditional Courts Traditional leaders – Queens, Chiefs and Headmen – administer African customary law, subject to the Council of […]
List of Magistrates Courts in South Africa
The Republic of South Africa has several types of courts. Here is a list of the Magistrates Courts in South Africa. This article first appeared on Briefly Each class has authority over a specific area and crimes. If you need to learn more about the list of magistrates courts in South Africa, then read on! […]