Minister of Justice and Constitutional Development Thembi Simelane is calling for an investigation into the near attack of court officials at Mamelodi magistrate’s court on Thursday.
This comes after a prosecutor and a stenographer were almost assaulted at the hands of a suspect. The suspect had just been found guilty of common robbery and damage to property charges.
After the magistrate delivered the verdict, the dramatic scene unfolded, the suspect leapt into action.
Suspect had hidden bottle as weapon
Justice ministry spokesperson Tsekiso Machike said they still had no idea where the bottle used by the convict to carry out the attack came from. Machike said they await the police to give such information.
He added that the matter was sub-judice.
However, Machike confirmed the incident and gave details. He said the convicted criminal broke a bottle after the magistrate’s verdict was read. The man then attempted to stab both the prosecutor and the stenographer, before being restrained by court officials.
“The senior management from the department has visited the Mamelodi magistrate’s court. All staff affected by the incident will receive trauma counselling support,” Machike said.
Simelane ordered that a comprehensive security and risk assessment be urgently conducted at the court.
Minister launches probe into incident
This is in an effort to identify breaches that could have occurred at the time. To also implement measures to ensure that such an incident would not occur at the court.
“We will not tolerate such acts of violence in our courts. The suspect will be prosecuted for committing this crime. It is essential that our courts remain free to fulfil their constitutionally mandated role in administering justice without fear of harm.
“Any assault on court officials undermines the authority of the state and will not be tolerated,” said Simelane.
