Ugandan judges engage South Africa’s Labour Courts and CCMA in knowledge-sharing visit Image: File 

A high-level delegation from the Judiciary of the Republic of Uganda is visiting South Africa from Monday to Saturday as part of that country’s judicial reform programme aimed at strengthening its Industrial Court and improving labour justice administration.

The visit, announced by the office of the Judge President of the Labour and Labour Appeal Court, is led by Justice Jane Francis Abodo, the Principal Judge of Uganda.

During the study tour, the delegation will engage with key South African institutions, including the Commission for Conciliation, Mediation and Arbitration (CCMA), the Labour Court, and the Labour Appeal Court.

The Ugandan delegation will observe court proceedings and case management practices, learn about technology integration in labour dispute resolution, and share best practices in judicial administration.

According to the office of the Judge President, the initiative reflects both countries’ commitment to fostering collaboration and promoting justice through knowledge-sharing.

The Ugandan Judiciary anticipates that the insights gained from the visit will help advance its reform agenda and promote efficient and fair resolution of labour disputes. 

Last year, IOL reported that the issue of judicial capture came under the spotlight once again, in South Africa as well as the rest of the African continent.

This comes after the Africa Judicial Independence Fund (AJIF) reported that there was widespread political interference and corruption in the continent’s justice system.

Speaking on Newzroom Afrika, the fund’s manager, Saeed Salahudeen, said the fund’s report had found evidence of corruption and interference through their in-depth assessment which focused on 11 priority countries – Angola, Ghana, Zimbabwe, Kenya, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Uganda, Nigeria, Senegal, Mali, Ethiopia and South Africa – which displayed high levels of political interference with the justice system.

The judicial fund, as an independent body, used some of its resources to study the patterns of free and fair justice in Africa. By Jonisayi Maromo, IOL News