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‘Courts must embrace 4IR’, says Judge President Musi

29 May 2019 | Story Rulanzen Martin | Photo Rulanzen Martin

Judge Musi — Judge President Cagney Musi from the Free State Division of the High Court.

If you live in a rural town the chances of getting equal access to the court system as your urban counterparts is very slim and therefore the trust in the judiciary has taken a nosedive. This is the “urban bias” of the judiciary, according to Judge President Cagney Musi of the Free State Division of the High Court.

Afrobarometer conducted a countrywide survey on, Trust in Judiciary and access to justice in South Africa. Judge Musi, Matthias Krönke from the Department of Political Studies at the University of Cape Town and Chris Oxtoby from Democratic Governance and Rights Unit at UCT, engaged in a panel discussion on the findings of the report.

The data of the survey was released at an event which was hosted by the Department of Political Transformation and Governance at the University of the Free State (UFS) on Tuesday 16 May 2019.

“The fact that we in South Africa and can say ‘I will take you to court’ is evidence of the trust there is in the judiciary,” said Judge President Musi. However, this trust in the courts ultimately lies in the operations of the court system. Cases that get postponed just becomes part of the backlog. The trust can be maintained through constant communication from the courts. Judge Musi asked whether social media could be used to maintain the trust in the judiciary by sharing court rulings on social media.

“It is also time the courts moved along with the changing times.” Judge Musi was referencing the Fourth Industrial Revolution and how courts can move away from conventional paper-based systems to a process whereby a claimant can submit summonses online.

The data findings of the Afrobarometer survey focused on three broad themes namely; trust in the judiciary and access to justice and judicial autonomy. It aims to contextualise South Africa on the continent and see to what extent people trust the judiciary in South Africa and how that compares to other parts of Africa. South Africa’s performance is very average compared to other countries.

News Archive

Rag teamwork leads to Armentum, Emily's float

2016-02-04

Rag video clip

Perhaps the residences Armentum and Emily Hobhouse were thrown into the deep end, but they still wanted to prove a point.

This is according to Hanko Minnaar, Residence Committee member for Rag at Armentum, shortly after the residences were announced as overall float winners of the University of the Free State (UFS).

According to Minnaar, Emily Hobhouse and Armentum overcame the challenge of building a float as a two-residence team, while most of the other hostels were in teams of three.

On 30 January 2016, after about two weeks of hard work and sweat, the residence twosome was named the winner at the Bloemfontein Campus.

“I am very proud. We couldn't have asked for more,” Minnaar said, after the residences Armentum and Emily Hobhouse celebrated their victory with house songs. “Anything is possible through teamwork.”

Tom and Jerry, Olaf and a Steri Stumpie

The theme for this year was “Cartoons, Animation, and Children's Snacks”. Among other items, Armentum and Emily Hobhouse had Tom and Jerry, Olaf from Frozen, a Steri Stumpie, and a box of Astros on their float.

Photo: Charl Devenish

“We thought hard about what we wanted,” Minnaar said.

“We also asked some children, and they said that Tom and Jerry is a favourite, and Olaf has always been a winner as well. And Steri Stumpies, of course. Who doesn't like Steri Stumpies?” The residences Marjolein, Veritas, and Akasia were second overall, with Karee, Vergeet-My-Nie, and Sonnedou third.

Colourful processions

The events of the day started off with a morning procession from the Pelonomi Hospital to the Twin City Mall in Heidedal, where students and the community celebrated together, and meals were distributed.

The evening procession, from the Tempe robot in Nelson Mandela Drive to the Old Grey Sports Grounds, was greeted by hordes of spectators along the way.

Artists and Co captivate audience

In the evening, music lovers were entertained at Old Grey Sports Grounds by the legendary artists Vusi Mahlasela, the talented Karen Zoid, and an energetic Francois van Coke.

Local bands, Rise in Red and Simple Stories, added to the excitement. To top it all off, a special laser show made for a colourful visual bonus, coupled with great sound.

2016 Float results
Rag photo gallery

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