JSC approves Mpumalanga deputy JP, possibly first female high court judge

JSC recommends Jane Ngobeni as first female Thohoyandou high court judge

16 October 2024 - 21:40
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Mbombela high court judge Takalani Ratshibvumo was recommended by the Justice Service Commission for the position of deputy judge president for the Mpumalanga division of the high court.
Mbombela high court judge Takalani Ratshibvumo was recommended by the Justice Service Commission for the position of deputy judge president for the Mpumalanga division of the high court.
Image: X/@OCJ_RSA

Mbombela high court judge Takalani Ratshibvumo has been recommended for the position of deputy judge president of the Mpumalanga division of the high court while the Thohoyandou high court could have its first female judge as Jane Ngobeni, also received a recommendation. 

Ratshibvumo appeared before the Justice Service Commission on Wednesday, where interviews continued for vacancies at the Mpumalanga division led by chief justice Mandisa Maya.

His application and interview included a presentation on challenges facing the courts in Mpumalanga and issues he wants to address if he gets the position. These include dealing with insufficient judges at the Middelburg and Mbombela high courts.

Ratshibvumo, who has been acting deputy judge president since October last year, said he decided to align his visions with that of Mpumalanga judge president Segopotje Mphahlele to prioritise service delivery to the people of the province, speedy finalisation of trials and reducing the number of awaiting trial prisoners.

“I was able to establish that she [Mphahlele] wants all reserved judgments to be kept under three months. I had to come up with how no judge in our division will have judgment reserved for more than three months,” he said.

Jane Ngobeni, who has 23 years' experience as a magistrate and regional magistrate, was interviewed by the Judicial Service Commission on Wednesday for a vacancy at the Thohoyandou high court.
Jane Ngobeni, who has 23 years' experience as a magistrate and regional magistrate, was interviewed by the Judicial Service Commission on Wednesday for a vacancy at the Thohoyandou high court.
Image: X/@OCJ_RSA

However, the province had insufficient judges as the structure in the division provides for nine permanent judges which include the judge president and the deputy judge president, and two acting judges used from time to time.

Those judges had to take on the hundreds of cases that are enrolled each month at both the Mbombela and Middelburg high courts, said Ratshibvumo.

“In 2023, we had 5,837 [cases] in Mbombela and these enrolments mean 486 cases enrolled per month if you were to give an average. In Middelburg, it [was] 5,257, about 438 cases per month and that is quite a lot.”

By the end of September this year, Mbombela high court sat with 5,095 cases and Middelburg with 5,052.

“We allocate six judges to civil court — three in Mbombela and three in Middelburg. If we talk about only eight judges and exclude the judge president, when six judges are given civil matters, you are left with only two to allocate the work to.”

The province relied on circuit courts and while there is a criminal court in Mbombela, it is supported by two circuit courts, in Graskop and Barberton. The Barberton circuit court, which is 42km from Mbombela is, however, closed due to a shortage of judges.

Middelburg had a criminal court and circuit courts in Delmas and Brayton but due to judge shortages, the two circuits had to share a judge.

“The circuit court in KwaMhlanga has been closed. There is a building structure to have it reopened, but it remains closed for now. It is 130km from the main centre in Middelburg.”

He said he had an LLB degree and a cum laude LLM degree in international law, plus two IT degrees which have come in useful when training judges and magistrates on conducting research.

“We talked about the judicial training for the staff and [judge president Mphahlele] put me up as the chair of the judicial training committee. Not only for staff training but for peer training. In doing so, she was recognising many of the positions I have had in the past. I was also the editor-in-chief of The Judicial Education Newsletter spearheaded by SAJEI (SA Judicial Education Institute).”

Ratshibvumo is also chair of the library committee where he said he noticed a “serious” shortage of books. However, due to implementing his proposals as acting deputy judge president and his IT knowledge, he was able to provide electronic books which were accessible to all judges.

“When we talk about criminal procedure, the rules, all the judges in the division of Mpumalanga are able to access that on their cellphones and laptops immediately, thanks to me having done that and thanking [Mphahlele] for giving me the opportunity to avail that to all the judges in the division. Because that makes service delivery to our people much easier.”

Meanwhile, holding 23 years experience as regional magistrate and magistrate, Ngobeni had said in her interview that despite having only 14 weeks’ experience as an acting judge, her record of writing judgments at the lower courts qualified her to take the role of judge at the Thohoyandou high court seriously.

“You’ve counted that you’ve written 98 judgments as a regional magistrate. That is quite commendable. It is highly unusual to hear that. Magistrates do not usually write judgments. I would love to hear some of those,” an impressed Maya told Ngobeni.

Ngobeni had already implemented initiatives to transform the judiciary in the province when she offered training to aspiring women legal practitioners. In addition, she has mentored female Unisa law students and introduced a programme for alternative dispute resolution students to mediate legal disputes between parties at the court.

“I am very passionate about that ... I am making that difference as a woman,” Ngobeni told the JSC.

TimesLIVE


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