Tomorrow, Friday 09 October, I will conduct an oversight visit and inspection at Hammarsdale Court in KwaZulu-Natal after a murder-suicide took place there today.
The DA extends deepest condolences to the family left behind by this tragic murder-suicide at Hammarsdale Court.
This is a tragedy where a mother was shot and killed inside the Court building by an off-duty police officer, who then turned the firearm on himself.
My oversight tomorrow will address an allegation that court management was repeatedly warned that someone could be killed in the building because of security risks. I will go there to confront this safety concern.
There is also an allegation that within the Court building another murder has recently taken place, which is not publicized. These claims must be urgently verified.
After my visit I will escalate these grave concerns to the Minister of Justice.
I will be there to see the operations of security screening equipment, what security procedures are in place and how a firearm could enter the building upon an off-duty police officer.
I expect to access relevant CCTV footage, security records, the complaints and incident reports, and I intend to oversee their procedure to preserve these.
During my August 2025 oversight visit to Pinetown Magistrate’s Court, I found that its entrance body scanner and bag X-ray equipment had reportedly been out of service for more than a decade. That experience makes it vital to establish whether similar security failures exist at Hammarsdale.
There must be an urgent, independent investigation into the shooting, court security and the alleged prior warnings.
I will also establish whether IPID has been notified, as the murder-suicide apparently involved an off-duty SAPS officer.
As a member of Parliament’s Select Committee on Security and Justice, I will pursue answers and corrective action through parliamentary oversight.
Courts must be places where people can seek justice safely.