Judicial security

AS HAS been reported in the media at the weekend, the head office of the Chief Justice (OCJ) in Midrand was broken into in the early hours of Saturday.

The OCJ was established by a presidential proclamation in 2010 as a national department, which is responsible for the administration of the superior courts and providing support to the chief justice a the head of the judiciary.

At this stage, it can be confirmed that a number of computers were stolen from one office at the OCJ premises.

The type of information that was potentially stored on these computers comprises human resource information of judges and employees of the OCJ.

There is an investigation that is being led by the SAPS, which responded promptly to the incident.

Both the Department of Justice and Constitutional Development and the Office of the Chief Justice are co-operating with the SAPS in this regard. As with many other government premises, the offices of the OCJ is guarded by a private security company.

It is also important to note that the government has already started to put in place measures to strengthen security at all critical infrastructure of the state. Parliament is now seized with the Critical Infrastructure Bill, which is aimed at overhauling the National Key Points Act. The Bill has been published for public comment. The intended legislation will ensure that stringent security measures are put in place at high-risk premises and infrastructure.

We would like to reiterate that information relating to judges is not for public consumption . The ministry is consulting with colleagues in the security cluster to put in place the necessary measures of ensuring the safety of judicial offices. Mthunzi Mhaga Spokesperson for the Ministry of Justice and Correctional Services