Rationalisation of Magisterial Districts As from 01 December 2014, communities can expect to travel shorter distances to access the services at courts. This comes about as the Department of Justice and Constitutional Development embarks on a process of rationalising the magisterial districts to align with municipal boundaries. Essentially, this means that the scope of areas served by each of the 384 magisterial districts will be realigned with municipal boundaries in order to ensure that they serve communities that are closer to them. Why was it necessary to undertake the rationalisation project? • Access to justice is basic human rights, provided for in the Constitution. The main aim of the process is to widen access to justice by having a court in every municipality and a seat of the High Court in every province. • At a district level, the areas of jurisdiction of the Magistrates’ Courts will be the same as that of municipalities to the extent that is practical and possible. • New courts will be built in areas of need and existing courts will be allocated adequate jurisdiction to respond to the needs of the communities they serve.
Posted on: Mon, 08 Dec 2014 13:02:35 +0000
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