President Cyril Ramaphosa has met with the Judiciary, amid criticism against the National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) following
Ramaphosa was supported during the high-level engagement by Justice and Constitutional Development minister, Mmamoloko Kubayi, her deputy Andries Nel, several ministers, while the Judiciary was represented by Chief Justice Mandisa Maya and Heads of Court.
This important engagement brought together the Executive and the Judiciary to reaffirm their shared commitment to building a stronger, more effective justice system, firmly anchored in the values of South Africa’s Constitution.
The engagement comes after scathing criticism against the NPA after it experienced setbacks in the Timothy Omotoso and Moroadi Cholota judgments, and other high profile cases.
According to the presidency, the meeting built on prior engagements between Maya and Kubayi, who is spearheading a multi-departmental initiative to address critical issues that have been raised by the Judiciary.
Kubayi, in collaboration with other ministers, has prioritised improvements in court infrastructure, human resources, security, and judicial independence.
“Within the principle of the separation of powers, each arm of the state has a responsibility to cooperate with, and provide support to, the other arms of the state in giving full effect to our constitution.
It requires that we create conditions in which each arm of the state can fulfil their respective mandates without hindrance.
It is an opportunity to develop common approaches on issues that are critical to the effective functioning of the Judiciary.
At the core of our deliberations is our shared commitment to safeguarding and entrenching the independence of the Judiciary and ensuring that it has the space and means to administer justice,” said Ramaphosa.
The presidency highlighted that key discussions focused on advancing the process to ensure institutional independence and unification of a single judiciary, and enhancing the capacity of the Constitutional Court, Supreme Court of Appeal, and High Courts.
Both Ramaphosa and Maya welcomed the meeting and committed to continues engagement between the executive and judiciary.
“This meeting is significant in that it happened days before we are due to host dignitaries of the judiciary from across the globe, to celebrate the 30th Anniversary of the establishment of the Constitutional Court on the 20th of this month.”
