Crime and grime plagues Joburg court

Johannesburg - Putrid smells, dirt and homelessness have plagued the area surrounding the Johannesburg High Court for years.

Now the murder of a man outside the court’s front steps last week, which was witnessed by a number of lawyers, has reignited concerns about safety in the area.

Two advocates wrote to the Johannesburg Bar Council last week to express their distress over the situation.

Advocate Ross Hutton SC wrote saying he was one of the witnesses to the murder.

He describes how he had been at a local coffee shop and was returning to court when one man struck the other several times in the chest with what appeared to be a knife. The stricken man fell to the ground as his assailant struck him several times over the head with a brick.

“Now people are being violently assaulted and murdered in broad daylight, practically on the steps of the court. I fear that an advocate, an attorney, a litigant or a judge may be the next victim,” Hutton said.

This week, The Star tested security within the court building. Journalists found that they could gain access to judges’ chambers, meant to be out of bounds to the public, because finger-scanning devices were not working.

They also freely entered the law library, also off bounds to the public, as there was no one there to stop them.

The journalists did note that there were security staff dotted around the court premises, but these personnel did not succeed in keeping them out of banned areas.

Advocate Piet Louw SC, vice-chairman of the Johannesburg Bar Council, said safety was a recurring problem for which they struggled to find a long-term solution.

He said the safety situation was a form of obstacle to justice for those who needed to access the courts.

Louw said many homeless people lived in the area and there was not a single day when someone attending court did not say they wanted to vomit because of the excrement on the pavements.

Advocate Stuart Wilson also wrote to the Bar Council last week, saying that because of the high number of homeless people and lack of services in the area, the streets were used as latrines.

He said this was directly linked to the municipality failing the poor in the area.

“This is the root cause of what we all, as very privileged members of an absurdly unequal country, experience in the high court precinct every day,” he said.

Department of Justice and Constitutional Development spokesman advocate Mthunzi Mhaga said the stabbing had been an isolated incident and had nothing to do with court officials.

“The court has engaged the Joburg metro police and the municipality to assist patrolling and ensure security around the court,” he added.

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The Star