High Court in Johannesburg closed due to Covid-19 case

The High Court in Johannesburg was closed this week, with well-placed sources saying this was after a member of staff tested positive for Covid-19.

A notice posted to the Office of Chief Justice’s Twitter page late on Wednesday night, indicated there had been “a Covid-19 related incident”.

“At the direction of the Judge President , Dunstan Mlambo, the Gauteng local division of the high court, Johannesburg, will be closed for members of the public and staff as a result of a Covid-19 related incident. The court building was evacuated and will remain closed for the rest of the week, through to the weekend, for decontamination purposes.”

A source who works in the building on Thursday told The Citizen that one of the court interpreters had tested positive for Covid-19.

She said there was panic in the courthouse after the news broke.

Last week, two local magistrate’s courts were temporarily closed.

The Johannesburg Attorneys Association last Tuesday posted on its Facebook page that the Johannesburg Magistrate’s Court and the Kliptown Magistrate’s Court had been closed after people at both had tested positive for Covid-19.

According to the level three directions that were issued by Justice and Correctional Services Minister Ronald Lamola this week, “a courtroom, court house or a portion thereof or a justice service point or a portion thereof must be disinfected whenever any officer of the court or a member of the public who has tested positive for Covid-19 has been in such a courtroom, courthouse or a portion thereof or justice service point or a portion thereof”.

Further, the minister’s directions state that “the Department of Justice and Constitutional Development must publish a protocol stating, among others, circumstances under which a courtroom, a courthouse or a portion thereof or justice service point or a portion thereof, may be closed for purposes of disinfection; the duration for which such courtroom, courthouse or a portion thereof or justice service point or a portion thereof, will be closed; and alternative arrangements made for the duration of the closure such courtroom, courthouse or a portion thereof or justice service point or a portion thereof”.

The Department of Justice on Thursday referred all queries relating to the high courts to the Office of the Chief Justice. However, the office’s spokesperson, Nathi Mncube, had not responded to a request for further information at the time of publishing.

The closure of the court comes on the same day that the police’s national headquarters in Pretoria was also closed, after a staff member tested positive for the virus.

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