Operations at the Pretoria high court have been temporarily suspended due to a power outage affecting parts of the CBD, and the office of the chief justice (OCJ) has declined to comment on why no backup power could be used to allow cases on the court roll to proceed.
TimesLIVE spoke to several sources working in the court building who said the generator has not been working for years, and every time there was a power outage, cases could not be heard.
Asked about this, OCJ spokesperson Lusanda Ntuli said no further comment will be given on the issue.
In a statement, the OCJ, which is responsible for the operations of high courts, said operations will cease on Monday as a result of the outage.
“The court has been in contact with the City of Tshwane metropolitan municipality, and restoration efforts are currently under way,” the OCJ said.
The affected parties will be contacted regarding alternative arrangements for cases scheduled to be heard on Monday.
“Further updates would be communicated once electricity supply to the court building is restored.”
TimesLIVE