PLETTENBERG BAY NEWS - In one of the rare incidents to happen at a high-security facility in South Africa, a drone hovered above Plettenberg Bay's new magistrate’s court facilities recently as a final act to capture the magnificence of the town's newest landmark – the imposing structure on the corner of Green Oak and Saringa Roads in New Horizons, just off the N2 highway.

Upon handover by the Independent Development Trust (IDT), the new facilities will be utilised by the Department of Justice and other government departments – including the National Prosecuting Authority, Legal Aid SA, SA Police Service and Correctional Services.

The IDT was the implementing agent for the construction of these facilities on behalf of the justice department.

Construction started in 2016 and the project is currently at the practical completion phase with only snag work remaining before the project reaches its final conclusion.

The 10 courtrooms include two sexual offences courts, four criminal courts, two regional courts and two family courts as well as a civil and equality court.

At the outset of the project, the IDT embarked on a comprehensive social facilitation process – a niche for the IDT which ensures that communities take ownership of the facilities once transferred to them – which included participation and buy-in from the Bitou municipal council.

Intensive community engagements and community meetings were held in all wards where the community was informed of the project and an undertaking that work opportunities and subcontracting opportunities were going to be available on this project.

In a statement, the IDT stated it is proud to have reached this milestone and appreciates the effort all the teams have put into this project to enable us to achieve this breakthrough. 

Article: Staff Reporter

'We bring you the latest Plettenberg Bay, Garden Route news'