DGRU Archives - Judges Matter

Magistrates Court User Survey 2023

Key findings of the DGRU’s South African Magistracy’s Court Users Survey Report 2023.

Magistrates’ Perceptions Survey 2022

Key findings of South African Magistracy’s perceptions of their working environment survey 2022/3.

The Magistrates Court Surveys: Our Findings

Posted: 25th January 2024
By: JudgesMatter
Category: Magistrates / Opinions / State of the Judiciary
Comment: 0

Given the importance of the magistracy in providing access to justice, it is imperative that we understand their perception of their role, and the challenges they are experiencing.

The DGRU submission on the Chief Justice candidates

Ahead of the interviews for Chief Justice taking place in the first week of February 2022, the Democratic Governance and Rights Unit (DGRU) at UCT’s Department of Public Law made a submission to the Judicial Service Commission (JSC) on the four candidates shortlisted for the top job in the judiciary. The candidates are Deputy Chief […]

ESSAY COMPETITION

WIN PRIZES VALUED AT R35 000! The Democratic Governance and Rights Unit is launching an annual essay prize for articles written about the judiciary! The topic for your submissions should cover any issue relating to the judiciary, such as appointment of judges, judicial independence, the regulation of judicial conduct, and judicial governance and administration. While […]

The Importance of Transparency in Judicial Selections and Appointments

This article was originally published by the UNODC’s Global Judicial Integrity Network. Read the original article. In October 2018, the Southern African Chief Justices’ Forum (SACJF) formally adopted the Lilongwe Principles and Guidelines on the Selection and Appointment of Judicial Officers. The Lilongwe Principles and Guidelines, which have previously been discussed in a ‘Views’ piece […]

Looking at the numbers on judicial transformation

The first black judge in South Africa was appointed to the bench in 1991. Since the inception of the Judicial Service Commission (JSC) in 1994, there has been a concerted effort to transform the judiciary by making it more equitable and diverse in terms of gender and race. This is in line with section 174(2) […]

A reflection on Zimbabwe’s JSC interviews for the Supreme Court

Tabeth Masengu is a researcher at the Democratic Governance and Rights Unit (DGRU) and PhD Research fellow at the UCT Department of Public Law and GHENT. She shares her thoughts on the recent Zimbabwean Judicial Service Commission interviews for the Supreme Court: On 29 September, I sat in a large venue at the Rainbow Towers […]

JSC deliberations and the appointment of Judges

When the JSC appoints judges, most of the proceedings are open to the public, and can be watched online on the Judges Matter website. However, when the members of the JSC discuss whether they are actually going to appoint a judge, the proceedings are closed. All members of the public leave the room, taking their […]

#FeesMustFall and the appointment of Judges

The #FeesMustFall movement have probably not considered the implications of their actions on the appointments of judges. You yourself not immediately see the connection. Let me explain. Judges Matter is a project which works on supporting the transparency of the judicial appointments process. Good appointments make for good judges; good judges make for good judgments; […]

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