The fatal shooting at the Wynberg Magistrate’s Court on Tuesday, April 8, has raised concerns about court security.

Wynberg police have registered a murder case to investigate the court shooting that led to the death of a man.

Western Cape police spokesperson, Sergeant Wesley Twigg, said: "The victim sustained gunshot wounds to his body and was declared deceased on the scene by medical personnel. The motive for the attack forms part of the police investigation, and arrests are yet to be made."

In September last year, choas erupted outside the Wynberg Magistrate's Court when two rival gangs, present for separate cases, clashed.

In May 2023, a woman was shot dead by gunmen near the court and this latest shooting incident has sparked discussion about security there.

“We need to revisit the security at all our courts for the safety of the judges, magistrates, advocates, lawyers, and the public daily, unsuspectingly assuming they are safe when entering the buildings” says chairperson of the Portfolio Committee on Justice and Constitutional Development, Xola Nqola.

“Criminals have become so brazen that they do not care who they shoot or where they shoot," Mr Nqola said. “I struggle to comprehend how these criminals can take a court and turn it into a murder scene. This is a brazen attack where criminals fear no one. It is totally unacceptable.

He questioned how these brutal attackers walked into a court building with firearms without being detected.

However, Mr Nqola added that during an oversight visit to various courts in KwaZulu-Natal last month, the committee found most of the metal detectors not functioning.

“It was not working, and we raised that concern to the Department of Justice and Constitutional Development as well as the Department of Public Works and Infrastructure, highlighting the exact concern of the safety of all inside the building.”