The DA conducted an oversight visit on Pinetown Magistrates Court in late August 2025 following the lawyer’s arrest and found that the court scanner hadn’t worked for 10 years. They also found that lawyers could interact with detainees without SAPS supervision due to staff shortages.
“The findings of this visit paint a deeply troubling picture of systemic neglect and compromised security at one of KwaZulu-Natal’s busiest courts” said Mzamo Billy, DA NCOP Member on Security & Justice (pictured here along with the broken scanner at the Pinetown Magistrates Court during the oversight visit)
“These failings collectively compromise the safety of court staff, the public, detainees, and legal practitioners, while also undermining the integrity of the justice system itself.”
He said in a statement released on 22 August 2025 that the oversight visit had revealed:
- Non-functional security equipment: The entrance body scanner and bag x-ray scanner have been out of service for more than 10 years, leaving the court wide open to contraband smuggling;
- Critical staff shortages: The court currently faces 13 vacancies, which significantly undermines its ability to operate effectively;
- Inadequate SAPS presence: There are not enough court orderly police officers on duty, and shockingly, there has been no commanding officer for over two years;
- Security breaches with detainee access: Lawyers visiting their clients in holding cells are not accompanied by SAPS members due to capacity shortages, creating an unacceptable security risk.
He said the DA would:
· Escalate the matter to the Minister of Justice and the NCOP Select Committee on Security & Justice for urgent intervention.
- Demand a provincial audit of court security systems, staffing levels, and maintenance of security equipment across all courts.
Billy said: “South Africans must have absolute confidence that our courts are safe spaces where justice is upheld. The current state of the Pinetown Magistrate’s Court is a disgrace and an indictment on government’s failure to maintain basic safety infrastructure.”
KZN SAPS spokesperson Colonel Paul Magwaza confirmed the arrest of the 47-year-old suspect for possession of drugs and drug smuggling.
“He appeared in the Pinetown Magistrate’s Court on 14 August 2025 and the case was remanded to 29 September 2025. Reports indicate that on 13 August 2025, the suspect was caught with the bags of dagga and was placed under arrest,” said Col Magwaza.
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