Court orderlies fear for safety after EL magistrates put in isolation

Panic has gripped the East London magistrate’s court after a correctional service official who had a meeting with a group of magistrates at the court premises tested positive for the Covid-19 virus.

The meeting was held last Monday. The correctional services official alerted the seven magistrates  on Wednesday to his results and they have been in isolation since.

Seven prosecutors were subsequently also told to self-isolate.

Magistrates Commission spokesperson Mahomed Dawood told DispatchLIVE on Tuesday the magistrates were advised to do the tests at either designated state hospitals or make their own private arrangements.

“Only two of them were tested today [Tuesday],” Dawood said.

But worried court orderlies say the decision to isolate only the magistrates doesn't make sense, as they interacted with people while in their offices, building passages and in court.

The orderlies, who wanted to remain anonymous for fear of losing their jobs, said there was no hand sanitiser at the courts.

“I have been using my own sanitiser since the lockdown started. None of these courts have sanitisers,” one orderly said.

“The masks and pair of gloves can only be used for a week.

“We have been telling our superiors that we want to be screened and tested, but it’s all in vain. We can’t even take leave because we were threatened that it would be  leave without pay.”

The source said orderlies felt  their employer did not care about them.

“I come to work because I cannot afford to take unpaid leave. I don’t feel safe here at all.

“Only the magistrate and management have sanitisers.”

One worker, who said she had been in contact with three of the magistrates, fears for her safety.

“How safe are we in this? The magistrates shared the information among themselves and we got to know about it only on Thursday.

“Yet we have been working since the meeting last Monday,” she said.

“I worked and interacted with them without wearing a mask or sanitising my hands because there are no sanitisers in our court. We should be screened and tested as well.”

“We should be provided with protective gear. Our employer should see to it that we test.

“This is their carelessness. It will not help to only test the magistrates.”

Dawood said the area used for the meeting had been fully decontaminated

“The court has always been alive to the safety precautions and all safety steps have been well in place from the onset of the lockdown.

“The court is proceeding as normal as per arrangements during lockdown.

“It is in keeping with the directives of the cluster head as well as that of the chief justice,” he said.

Department of justice & correctional services spokesperson Chrispin Phiri had not responded to a DispatchLIVE query at the time of writing.

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