Mpumalanga Division of the High Court release figures of successful prosecutions in 2021/22
The Director of Public Prosecutions announced the division's success rates during a media briefing today, August 11.
In an effort to account to the public, the Mpumalanga Director of Public Prosecutions, Advocate Nkebe Kanyane, announced the 2021/22 financial year’s prosecution success and overall performance by the Mpumalanga Division of the High Court and the National Prosecuting Authority.
Kanyane made the announcement during a media briefing at the high court today, August 11. She said that even though district and regional courts were impacted by the Covid-19 pandemic and constant power cuts, the courts managed to yield positive prosecution results.
“Notwithstanding the challenges, it was the prosecutors who ensured that when the circumstances permitted, the court was in session. The division was able to achieve many of its performance indicators despite the threatening atmosphere faced by the prosecutors due to the severity of Covid-19 and a high number of positive cases and deaths. In high courts, regional courts and district courts, targets were achieved,” Kanyane said.
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She outlined the performance and conviction rates for the 2021/22 financial year achieved in courts as follows:
• The conviction rate in the high courts is 93.1% (81 out of 87 cases)
• The conviction rate in the regional courts is 77.5% (852 out of 1 099 cases)
• Both high and regional courts sentenced 71% accused to direct imprisonment, with no option of a fine (406 out of 568 cases)
• The conviction rate in murder prosecution cases was 75.9% (195 out of 257 cases) and the rate for intimate partner femicide prosecutions was 100% (28 cases).
Kanyane applauded the district courts for their high performance achieved producing bulk of the prosecutions in the province. The conviction rate reached a positive 94.9% with a total of 8 435 out of 8 888 cases.
