Power outages cause chaos at court

Attorneys were upset yesterday morning after suspects failed to make appearances in court because of power outages.

A number of suspects were unable to make their court appearance in the Pretoria Magistrate’s Court due to load shedding and cable theft.

This angered some attorneys, who are demanding answers from the department of justice and constitutional development.

According to a statement by Mpakati Attorneys, lawyers and magistrates were sitting outside the court while the power situation was being attended to.

“It is quite unfortunate that institutions such as courts are not being taken seriously. This is where we deal with serious matters and people’s lives,” the law firm said.

According to Mpakati Attorneys,

some suspects had to be returned to police custody and could not make their first court appearances, while others were processed speedily without their lawyers.

“Thousands of accused and suspects were expected to appear in court [on Monday]. This is an injustice of the highest order. We demand an explanation from the justice department,” the firm said in a statement.

Mpakati Attorneys called on the government to put up measures in place to ensure that court processes proceed, even during power outages.

“We understand the reality of the country [but] all we are asking for is respect for the law and the rights of those that depend on the justice system of this country,” the firm said.

The Citizen has contacted the justice department for comment and had not received it at the time of going to print.