Judge Roland Sutherland, Deputy Judge President of Gauteng, says he is reporting “disgraceful” conduct by the State Attorney to the Minister of Justice.
The matter before him was an “outrageous” attempt by the Gauteng MEC of Transport and Road Infrastructure to rescind an order (granted in August 2021) that the MEC was 100% liable for proven costs in a multi-million rand damages claim by Michael Halstead, an advocate severely injured in a car accident.
The order had been made by default, in the absence of any representative from the State Attorney’s office, which also did not file any notice of opposition or plea giving an indication of what the MEC’s defence would be.
Faced with expert evidence as to the condition of the road, the judge granted the order.
I guess there are many such stories that have not been reported…