He says he is deeply worried about the impact of Covid-19 on South Africa.
Chief Justice Mogoeng Mogoeng says the lockdown and state of national disaster implemented to curb the spread of the coronavirus cannot function above the Constitution.
Mogoeng said this was why he did not agree with the view that courts should have been shut down during the early phase of the nationwide lockdown because people should have the option to challenge any violation of their rights during this period. Mogoeng said while he does not align himself with the president, he has long maintained that citizens must rely on the courts if they believed government was infringing their rights.
Mogoeng said Covid-19 and the related lockdown have made a bad situation worse in the judiciary, with cases piling up. He said for many years he has been pushing for a court modernisation along the lines of the SA Revenue Service . “And the challenge is we really aren’t able to plan effectively around the lockdown because we don’t even know when it’s going to end. We don’t know when phase two is going to kick in, Level 3. And how long that is going to allow the courts to function particularly where it matters the most, at the magistrate’s courts and the high court and the courts of equivalent status,” he said.
United States Latest News, United States Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
Premier League chief 'confident' of June restartClubs returned to socially distanced training in small groups this week and the league hope to begin playing the remaining 92 matches on June 12 or 19.
Read more »
Bheki Cele tight-lipped on unbanning alcohol, cigarette salesPolice Minister Bheki Cele says police will request receipts from people found smoking cigarettes in public and has remained mum on alcohol and cigarettes being sold legally during level 3 lockdown. | Day57ofLockdown
Read more »
LIST: Cele on law enforcement operations during lockdownPolice Minister Bheki Cele has given an update on law enforcement operations during the lockdown.
Read more »
SACAP student registered counsellors support mental health services during Covid-19The global emergence of Covid-19 and subsequent lockdowns across the world have ushered in unprecedented mental health challenges.
Read more »
Food parcel plan assumed councillors have best interests of their people at heartOPINION: The food distribution process is the one intervention during lockdown that highlighted systemic and systematic challenges in local government, writes Nontando Zintle Ngamlana.
Read more »
Pandemic responses must ensure human rights are protected - The Mail & GuardianBlanket measures such as lockdowns contribute to the needs and realities of people at the margins of society being overlooked.
Read more »