Justice came to a halt at the Pietermaritzburg magistrate’s court on Wednesday when a leaking pipe forced the closure of two courts and later the entire building.
The rooms first impacted were regional courts 4 and N, which had cases set down to be heard.
The prisoners’ holding cells downstairs were also flooded.
A court source said the burst pipe was caused by a toilet which had been repeatedly flushed by prisoners.
A disgruntled court official who spoke to TimesLIVE on condition of anonymity said they were at their wits’ end. “We are still waiting for the court manager to deliberate on what will happen.”
There were also concerns the water may have damaged recording devices in the affected courts.
WATCH: Operations of two court rooms at the Pietermaritzburg magistrate court grinded to a halt on Wednesday as a result of leaking pipes on the roof @TimesLIVE pic.twitter.com/iD7qm4TMYT
— Nyanga Mkhize (@mkhize_nyanga) March 11, 2026
Another worker said the courts were not new and such challenges were dealt with by the public works department.
“There are lots of issues. Take, for example, the Durban court, where there is an on-site handyman who attends to issues related to plumbing on time. While for us, we have to wait for some time before our issues are dealt with,” he said.
Court employees said they had no guarantee of how safe the building was, given the constant maintenance issues.
Just before lunchtime, the water valve from the prison holding cells had to be closed, which resulted in water being shut down to the entire building, dealing a blow to other courts as cases had to be remanded.
By lunchtime, some officials had to retire early for the day, and some members of the public had to be turned away.
A witness, Mlindelwa Ndlela from iMpendle on the outskirts of Pietermaritzburg, expressed dismay at the delay. The matter for which he was called dates back to 2024, when his goats were stolen from his home.
He said the case was dragging on and Wednesday’s delay was frustrating. “I wanted to see the end of this case,” said Ndlela.
Ndlela was speaking while a suspect, chained in leg irons, was seated on a bench alongside a correctional services guard.
His matter was remanded to March 25.
Attempts to get hold of the court manager and head magistrate were unsuccessful as they were locked in meetings.
The National Prosecuting Authority referred queries to the justice department.
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