Acting Minister of Justice and Correctional Services, Faith Muthambi, has appointed 48 senior magistrates in various magistrates’ courts across the country, the department said on Wednesday.
“The appointment of the unprecedented number of senior magistrates will improve court management and increase efficiency at the magistrate’s courts where the majority of our citizens come into contact with the justice system,” said the department.
“They will also play a crucial role as mentors for newly appointed magistrates especially at this time when the Magistrates’ Commission commences with the process of appointing 214 entry level magistrates.”
Muthambi, who was recently moved as communications minister to take over as public service and administration minister, is standing in for Justice Minister Michael Masutha who was recovering from an illness.
The department said the new appointments would assist in transforming the judiciary.
“Of the 48 appointed candidates, 47 are black (52 percent) and 23 are women (48 percent). With this round of appointments, the overall racial and gender composition of the magistracy has improved substantially. As a result, black magistrates comprise 1000 of the 1570 total number of magistrates in the country, 702 of the magistrates are women.”
– African News Agency (ANA)
