DA requests answers after judiciary fails to report on late judgements

• The OCJ has failed to publish late judgment reports.
• Late judgements occur when a court fails to hand down a decision within 3 months after a trial ends.
• The DA has written to the OCJ to request that this report be released.

The Democratic Alliance (DA) has written to the Office of the Chief Justice (OCJ) and requested an explanation for the judiciary's failure to release statistics on late judgements.

The last report was released by the OCJ in October 2025 and dealt only with late judgement statistics from the second term of 2025. In the past, late judgement reports were published every term. Is it possible that late judgements have increased because judges across the country are buckling under an ever-growing caseload? And that this is not being publicised for public scrutiny?

Section 34 of the Constitution affords South Africans the non-negotiable right of access to courts. This right is infringed upon if legal disputes are not resolved efficiently. If the number of delayed judgments is increasing, South Africa deserves to know about it.

In our letter, the DA requests that the OCJ:

1. Release the statistics on late judgements without delay
2. Give reasons for the months-long delay
3. Commit to timeous reporting going forward

If the statistics (when released) point to judges being overburdened, the appointment of additional judges across the country should be seriously considered. An efficient judiciary is crucial to remove criminals from society and keep South Africans safe.

Transparency must be a priority of the OCJ to ensure that South African's right of access to justice is protected.