Reform on way to prevent stalled cases

The problem of stalled cases because a magistrate has left the position will soon be a thing of the past as related legislation makes its way through Parliament.

Minister of Legal Affairs and Criminal Justice Michael Lashley said the pending amendments to the Magistrates’ Court Act were the genesis of judicial reform.

“The issue of delays, in terms of a magistrate who is being promoted and leaving cases behind, caused some delay. So we have amended the Magistrates’ Court Act to give another magistrate the power to continue those cases so that there would be no further delay. What happened before, another magistrate had to start over the cases, and that caused further delay. So we have been treating to strengthen the judicial system by seeking to improve all systems in the Magistrates’ Court,” he said.