Pretoria - The establishment of a Small Claims Court in Alexandra will provide residents with a speedy, simple and accessible forum to resolve their disputes.
This is according to Deputy Minister of Justice Andries Nel who opened the first Small Claims Court in Alexandra on Tuesday.
"Citizens of Alexandra will now be able to turn to a Small Claims Court for a resolution to their disputes. Usually Small Claim Court matters are dispensed with in a month or two, providing people with a simple, speedy and accessible forum that will make a huge difference in people's lives," Nel said.
The deputy minister also called on legal practitioners with at least five years experience to volunteer their services as commissioners at Small Claims Courts.
Nel said the country needed more commissioners for the courts that were being established across the country.
The commissioners who preside over cases in Small Claims Court do so without any compensation.
South Africa needed more men and women, who had a burning passion for justice and were willing to go the extra mile, to become commissioners, Nel added.
In the 384 magisterial districts in the country there are 207 functioning Small Claims Courts but the Department of Justice and Constitutional Development aims to have at least one Small Claims Court in every district.
The department has set the target of establishing 60 more courts by April next year and have already set up 11 since April this year.
Small Claims Courts were a powerful mechanism to provide access to justice, especially for the poor, Nel said.
The courts deal with civil disputes of up to R7 000 and no legal representatives are required or allowed to appear on behalf of the litigants.
The latest court would play a major role in the lives of the residents of Alexandra and the department would embark on a campaign to popularise the usage of Small Claims Court, the deputy minister added.
Chairperson of the Alexandra Advisory Board Thomas Rikhotso said Alexandra residents were overjoyed that a Small Claims Court had been established in their area.
"I worked in Randburg for eight years and I know how people from Alexandra had to travel to Randburg, some of them on foot, to access a Small Claims Court. I'm excited that today they will get these services at their doorstep," he said.
The deputy minister also launched guidelines for commissioners and clerks of Small Claims Courts.
The guidelines would assist commissioners preside over matters and also ensure that there was uniformity in all the Small Claims Courts across the country.
The guidelines would also be used in the training of clerks at the courts, who were the first Small Claim Court officials to interact with the public.
