South Africa's Chief Justice Zondo Confident Despite ConCourt's Shortfall in Meeting Judgment Targets

Chief Justice Raymond Zondo addressed concerns regarding the Constitutional Court's (ConCourt) performance in his judiciary annual report presentation in Johannesburg. As he prepares to retire, Zondos remains positive about the ConCourt's output, despite not reaching its finalisation target in the 2022/2023 financial year.

Out of 13 performance targets, the judiciary achieved an impressive 85% success rate, though the ConCourt completed only 55% of its cases, short of the 70% aim. Zondo indicated this issue is currently under review to identify the reasons behind the shortfall but emphasized that a 55% completion rate should not be misconstrued as a failure.

Zondo highlighted the Constitutional mandate requiring 11 judges for new applications as a challenge affecting the court’s efficiency. He reinforced his previous proposition to amend the Constitution, advocating for a system that allows smaller panels of three judges to handle certain cases, which would significantly reduce the pressure on the court without affecting the full panel hearings for appeals.

Acknowledging resource constraints, Zondo revealed proposals to the executive to employ experienced lawyers to assist the ConCourt's justices, thereby alleviating their workload. The judiciary is awaiting a response on both the potential constitutional amendments and the request for additional resources.

In stark contrast to the apex court's performance, the majority of the superior courts excelled, with many surpassing their targets. Notably, the Supreme Court of Appeal (SCA) finalized 85% of its matters, surpassing the 80% target, and achieved a 91% finalization rate for applications and petitions.

Across all nine provincial high court divisions, an 83% finalization rate was accomplished for criminal matters, exceeding the 75% target. For civil cases, the rate was an impressive 85%, against the 64% target. The Electoral Court outdid itself with a 100% success rate, well above its 90% goal. The reserve judgment finalization across all superior courts was a touch above target at 72%.

Though there was success in reducing the criminal case backlog in superior courts, the goal of a 30% reduction was not met, achieving a 47% average instead. Zondo expressed hope for improved performance in future reports.

As tragedy meets triumph in the judiciary, the outgoing Chief Justice's legacy includes a clear pursuit of better efficiency and resource allocation for South Africa's courts. With Deputy Chief Justice Mandisa Maya set to succeed Zondo, the judiciary continues to strive towards excellence in upholding the rule of law.