Sunday Times Daily reports that North West judge president Ronald Hendricks has proposed a new high court, comprising a local division with additional judges, in Klerksdorp to deal with the additional workload in the area.

This emerged at the Judicial Service Commission (JSC) on Monday in an answer to a question about the area being “infested with gangsterism and, lately, zama zamas”. The proposal was revealed by Judge Tebogo Djaje in her interview for deputy judge president of the North West High Court. The only candidate for the position, she got the nod after a fairly smooth interview. Djaje was asked by MP Thamsanqa Dodovu whether she thought the area of Klerksdorp and Potchefstroom required its own full-time court given the amount of crime in the area. “I agree with you. Klerksdorp is a very busy place as far as criminal and civil cases are concerned,” Djaje replied. She said the judge president had completed a report on the rationalisation of the courts in the province and had proposed a local division there. In the meantime, there was a circuit court in the area. Djaje was nominated by all her colleagues in the North West division, who gave her what Deputy Chief Justice Mandisa Maya called a “glowing reference”.

• Read the full original of the report in the above regard by Franny Rabkin at Sunday Times Daily (subscriber access only)

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