189 X-ray machines and 202 metal detectors at South African courts don’t work, more than those that are working

Minister of Justice and Constitutional Development, Mmamoloko Kubayi, revealed that there are more broken X-ray machines and metal detectors than working ones at courts.

Kubayi revealed this in response to a Parliamentary question from National Assembly member Glynnis Breytenbach.

Breytenbach asked Kubayi for a breakdown of security-related equipment, including X-ray machines and walk-through metal detectors, at South African courts.

She also requested details about hand-held metal detectors that are dysfunctional or do not work at all for each court in South Africa.

Kubayi responded, saying that there are currently 105 X-ray machines and 176 walk-through metal detectors that work in local courts.

This is much lower than the number of these security devices which are broken, posing a risk to people involved in the justice system.

The same problem is seen with CCTV cameras in South African courts, where many of them do not work.

In the High Court in Thohoyandou, for example, there are 42 security cameras. However, all of them are dysfunctional.

In the Johannesburg High Court, only 35 of the 150 security cameras are functional, and in the Constitutional Court, only 9 of the 53 cameras work.

Overall, 669 of the 2,366 security cameras at South African courts don’t work, and 56 of the 130 CCTV monitors are dysfunctional.

“Where equipment is obsolete and beyond economical repair, the Department is replacing it in phases based on funding availability and security risk priorities,” she said.

“Contract and supplier management are also being strengthened to ensure timely repairs and compliance with service standards.”

Kubayi added that to improve operational effectiveness, ongoing training is scheduled for security personnel in equipment operation, basic troubleshooting, and inspections.

“In addition, a centralised asset monitoring system will be introduced to track the condition, maintenance history, and functionality of security equipment,” she said.

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Security equipment at lower courts

Security Equipment	Total	Working	Not working
X-Ray Machines	294	105	189
Walkthrough Metal Detectors	378	176	202

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Security equipment at high courts

Security Equipment	Total	Working	Not working
Cameras	2,366	1,697	669
X-Ray Machines	29	19	10
Walkthrough Metal Detectors	38	26	9
Handheld Metal Detectors	94	88	6
CCTV Monitors	130	74	56

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