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The Public Servants Association (PSA) calls on the Minister of Justice and Constitutional Development to urgently review security measures at Courts amidst growing safety concerns at all Magistrates’ Courts affecting Johannesburg judicial facilities.
 
A deadly shooting took place at the Booysens Magistrates’ Court on 20 January 2026 at approximately 10:30 following court proceedings related to a murder and attempted murder case. Five people were shot, resulting in the deaths of two victims on the Court’s premises. According to information, the group that was shot had attended Court to support an accused who had appeared in connection with a murder and attempted murder case that occurred in Mondeor in April 2025. The PSA has learned that one of the injured victims was the legal practitioner representing the accused.

The incident occurred at the Court building’s main entrance as the group was leaving the premises, proceeding toward the parking area. They were approached by three unknown males who opened fire. The perpetrators fled the scene in a vehicle. This incident follows the fatal shooting of a couple outside the Randburg Magistrates’ Court in November 2023. The deceased were key witnesses in an assault case involving four police officers.
 
The PSA has noted with concern that data relating to killings and violent incidents at Courts in Johannesburg reveal a significant surge, leading to critically needed scrutiny of justice facility security in Johannesburg and across South Africa. The PSA calls on the Minister to implement measures that will strengthen visible policing and other security interventions inside and outside Court premises.
 
The PSA cannot overemphasise the need for government to publicly acknowledge the necessity of a focused response to this crisis, which is devastating lives, families, and communities. A drastically different strategic approach is required to ensure that evidence-based interventions with measurable objectives are implemented to safeguard judicial employees and the communities they serve.

Issued by the Public Servants Association