Budget cuts put court security at risk justice minister warns

JUSTICE and Constitutional Development Minister Mmamoloko Kubayi has warned that budget cuts have severely limited the ability of her department to bolster security measures at courts.

- MAYIBONGWE MAQHINA

Responding to oral questions in the National Assembly, Kubayi said they have looked at augmenting security infrastructure in an attempt to deal with the challenge.

“The ICT equipment for searching, we augment it with human beings and physical security. Sometimes the report we get is that that’s not sufficient,” she said.

Kubayi was asked by DA MP Glynnis Breytenbach on the steps her department has taken to ensure that scanners and other security systems work effectively and are repaired and maintained properly.

She conceded that her department did not comply with the Public Protector’s remedial action to conduct an audit of all courts to determine their infrastructure needs, upgrades, or renovations within 180 calendar days from the date of the report.