Parliament, Wednesday, 26 March 2025 – The Portfolio Committee on Justice and Constitutional Development today called on all the role-players involved to ensure that the Verulam Magistrates Court in KwaZulu-Natal receives the attention it deserves as it is a safety hazard.
This follows an unannounced visit by the committee to the court followed by a walkabout within the court building. Committee Chairperson, Mr Xola Nqola, said the visit was informed by many reports to the committee. “So, we wanted to verify these things. We wanted to see for ourselves in order to develop a report and an approach to attend to this,” added Mr Nqola.
During the walkabout the committee noted that some ceilings crumble, carpets were smelling and mouldy, and walls had cracks. “We can confirm that the court is in a dire state. There are some court rooms that do not operate because they have been declared unsafe by the Department of Labour. There are magistrates chambers and ablution facilities that are no longer in use because the Department of Labour has condemned them,” emphasised Mr Nqola.
The committee was accompanied by the Department of Public Works and Infrastructure (DPWI) and the Department of Justice and Constitutional Development in its visit to the Verulam Magistrates Court. A plan will now be tabled to address the infrastructural problems, said Mr Nqola.
Mr Nqola said in the next six months the area would have been decanted, and new park homes (mobile facilities) will be used as a temporary solution for the programme of the court to proceed.
The committee was informed that R70 million is needed to renovate the court and that would be funded by DPWI. A meeting between relevant departments is set to take place tomorrow to discuss the way forward. Mr Nqola said the committee wants a report on the outcomes of that meeting. He said the committee needs an urgent intervention as the building is a safety hazard.
Earlier in the day the committee visited the Durban Magistrates and High Court as well as The Point Family Court. The committee highlighted concerns over the lifts that do not work all the time. It is a tall building of 12 floors. Mr Nqola said: “We cannot have courts starting later because magistrates, prosecutors, attorneys or the public were waiting for the lifts or even worse, get stuck in the lifts.”
Regarding the Durban High Court which is currently housed in the magistrates court, the committee noted, electricity, water supply, and general maintenance problems that the court experiences. The actual high court building is under renovation which is expected to be completed in November this year.
At The Point Family Court, the committee expressed satisfaction over the type of facility and the proper manner in which it is maintained since 2021. It is a state-of-the-art facility; it’s a modern design. Mr Nqola said: “We have a best practice model of what a court should look like. The important thing about this facility is that it is has been kept in the same condition as it was five years ago when we visited it.”
The committee will visit the KwaZulu-Natal’s South African Human Rights Commission office as well as the State Attorneys Offices tomorrow.
ISSUED BY THE PARLIAMENTARY COMMUNICATION SERVICES ON BEHALF OF THE CHAIRPERSON OF THE PORTFOLIO COMMITTEE ON JUSTICE AND CONSTITUTIONAL DEVELOPMENT, MR XOLA NQOLA.
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