Civil litigation system under review over delays and costs

Article By: DIANA MOTSU

A review is being considered into civil litigation management, including outsourcing government cases to private law firms, amid concerns over delays, costs and inefficiencies.

Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Justice and Correctional Services  Naledi Moroka told a parliamentary committee the review will assess whether government should continue defending weak cases and whether outsourcing remains cost

effective.

She said the Attorney General’s Chambers is overloaded with civil matters, while prolonged cases often disadvantage litigants who exhaust their resources. Moroka also raised concerns over unclear allocation of outsourced work and limited capacity to supervise private lawyers due to staffing shortages.