MOSSEL BAY NEWS -  Recurring technical faults with the Mossel Bay Magistrate’s Court’s phone lines have plagued its staff and community members for several months now.

The intermittent disruption of the lines at court is allegedly an almost daily occurrence, making court personnel unreachable to anyone who has to call them.

Some court staff who spoke to Mossel Bay Advertiser on the condition of anonymity, said the problem has persisted for months and has made it difficult for some personnel to do their work. 

They said because of the issue, they receive complaints from the community on an almost daily basis. They said the community says that when they try to call the court for information on cases and appearances, they can't get hold of anyone.

Police officers in the greater Mossel Bay area, who also spoke to the Advertiser on condition of anonymity, said the disruptions sometimes make their jobs very difficult when one of them needs to contact the court, as they have to go there in person to communicate with the staff.

One court source said community members also have to come to the court when the lines are down, but that this is not always possible for them.

Palesa Rammitlwa, the spokesperson for the Department of Justice and Constitutional Development, said the department was aware of the issues affecting the court’s phone lines, which have “impacted the ability of members of the public and other stakeholders to contact the court telephonically”. 

She said the department became aware of these issues following reports from court users and officials, and that the matter had been escalated to support structures for investigation and resolution.

Rammitlwa added that the telephone infrastructure at the court is maintained through the Department of Communications and Digital Technologies, in conjunction with the relevant service providers responsible for the underlying telecommunications services.

Regarding the current problem, the Department of Justice said it is working with the technical teams and service providers to identify the root cause and implement a sustainable solution.

Rammitlwa said the preliminary investigations indicate that the challenges are due to recurring technical faults affecting the telephone service. 

“Addressing the issue remains a priority. Technical teams are working to identify and resolve the fault and implement corrective measures to restore a stable and reliable telephone service. In the interim, court officials continue to assist members of the public through available communication channels to ensure continued access to court services,” she said. 

“The department will continue to monitor the matter until a permanent and sustainable solution has been implemented.” 

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