Johannesburg - Constitutional Court Justice Mbuyiseli Madlanga used his interview for the position of chief justice to advocate for a revamp of the court processes, including lower litigation fees and quicker turnaround times in handing down judgments.
Madlanga was the first to take the hot seat in the week-long interviews taking place in Johannesburg.
Madlanga’s interview began at 10am and was scheduled to end at 5.30pm.
He told the panel that he had identified some of the contributing factors to the excessive delays in the Constitutional Court and was in the process of revising the system.
He was asked about the criticism the judiciary had recently received and spoke to the long delays in matters being one of the major issues.
Madlanga said that he and acting Justice Dhaya Pillay were in the process of working on a proposal that should be released soon.
He said their proposal looks at ways to reduce the length of time in which judgments are handed down.
Madlanga further said if he was appointed as the chief justice, he would first engage with the different heads of court.
He said that for a long time he felt that some of the rules of court were outdated. When speaking on the issue of access to courts, Madlanga said the roll-out of court online was important. He said that the new chief justice would have to ensure the migration to a paperless environment was phased in properly.
He highlighted the issue of computer illiteracy and lack of internet in some areas and suggested that the current system needed to run in tandem with the new system.
Madlanga also said that he would push for mediation to take place more often as this would ease the burden of the courts and free up time to focus on other cases.
kailene.pillay@inl.co.za
Political Bureau