The Journalist

Mpumalanga taxi boss Joe Sibanyoni is currently consulting with his legal team after the NPA secured a provisional restraint order over his assets, which include his golf estate in Centurion. @Sowetan1981

POPCRU North West calls for urgent temporary relocation of Rustenburg Magistrate’s Court amid deteriorating safety conditions* The Police and Prisons Civil Rights Union (POPCRU) in the North West Province expresses its grave concern over the deteriorating conditions at the Rustenburg Magistrate’s Court, where ongoing renovations have created an increasingly dangerous working environment for law enforcement officials, compromised the dignity of persons appearing before the court, and exposed members of the public to unnecessary safety and security risks. While POPCRU acknowledges and welcomes efforts to improve court infrastructure through renovations, we firmly maintain that such improvements should never come at the expense of workers' safety, the security of persons in custody, or the effective administration of justice. The ongoing renovations have resulted in sections of the court's roofing being removed, alongside the unavailability of adequate ablution facilities. These conditions have severely disrupted normal court operations, particularly the safe management and movement of persons in custody who are brought before the court. Of particular concern is that, owing to the lack of suitable holding facilities under the prevailing conditions, persons awaiting their court appearances are being kept inside police vehicles for extended periods. Whenever they require access to ablution facilities, officials are compelled to escort them to the nearest available facilities, situated close to a busy taxi rank. This arrangement presents serious security challenges, as officials are required to move persons in custody through a congested public environment with limited personnel and inadequate security arrangements. It unnecessarily exposes our already understaffed members to potential attacks, attempted escapes and other unpredictable confrontations, while simultaneously placing members of the public at risk. These concerns are neither hypothetical nor exaggerated. On Friday, 23 October 2026, an individual reportedly escaped from custody under circumstances linked to the prevailing arrangements at the court. This incident should serve as a serious warning about the dangers of continuing court operations without appropriate security measures and suitable infrastructure. For POPCRU, this incident demonstrates the urgent need for intervention before another escape or a more serious tragedy occurs. It is unacceptable that law enforcement officials, who are already operating under difficult conditions characterised by personnel shortages and increasing workloads, should be expected to compensate for infrastructure deficiencies through arrangements that compromise their personal safety and professional responsibilities. The continued reliance on police vehicles as temporary holding spaces, coupled with the movement of persons in custody through busy public areas to access basic sanitation facilities, represents a fundamental failure to provide a safe and secure environment for the administration of justice. POPCRU therefore calls upon the Department of Justice and Constitutional Development, working together with the Department of Public Works and Infrastructure, the South African Police Service and other relevant stakeholders, to urgently identify and designate a suitable alternative venue for the temporary relocation of the Rustenburg Magistrate’s Court while renovations are underway. Such a temporary arrangement must provide adequate holding facilities, accessible ablution facilities, controlled access points and appropriate security infrastructure to ensure the safety of officials, persons in custody and the general public. We further call for an immediate assessment of the existing security arrangements, including the adequacy of personnel deployed to court duties, and the implementation of urgent measures to prevent further escapes from lawful custody.