Deputy Minister Andries Nel Presides Over Closing of National Wills Week 2025 in Mthatha
The Department of Justice and Constitutional Development (DOJ&CD) wrapped up its nationwide Wills Week campaign with a successful closing event in Mthatha, Eastern Cape, on 19 September 2025. Deputy Minister Andries Nel officiated the programme, held at Ikhwezi Lokusa Special School, ending a week-long effort to promote access to justice and legal certainty for South African families.
The event, held during Public Service Month in September, strongly reinforced the government's commitment to improving service delivery and promoting access to justice for all citizens.
Safeguarding Families and Assets
National Wills Week highlights the critical need for every South African to have a valid Will to safeguard their families and assets. Without a valid Will, an estate is distributed according to the Intestate Succession Act, which can lead to delays, financial hardship, and disputes among surviving family members.
Deputy Minister Nel emphasised the importance of this simple yet crucial document in ensuring that the wishes of the deceased are respected and that their beneficiaries are protected.
A Unified Effort for Access to Justice
The success of the campaign is a testament to the effective partnership between the government and the legal sector. The closing event featured strong collaboration with key partners who provided essential pro bono services:
These stakeholders established dedicated help desks at the venue, allowing community members to draft their Wills free of charge. Residents from the Mthatha area attended in significant numbers, taking advantage of the no-cost professional legal support and expert guidance on estate planning.
National Wills Week, through such effective public-private partnerships, continues to empower families, foster responsible estate planning, and is a vital step toward ensuring legal peace of mind for citizens across South Africa.
The South African Police Service (SAPS) has successfully rolled out the Integrated Persons Management (IPM) system across four Free State stations namely, Botshabelo, Selosesha, Thaba Nchu, and Boithuso, on 29 September to 3 October 2025.
Read more
South Africa took centre stage in the global legal community when it hosted the landmark J20 Summit in Sandton, Johannesburg, from 3–4 September 2025. The gathering brought together the Heads of Constitutional and Supreme Courts from G20 countries under the theme, “Justice in a Time of Change: Independence, Innovation and Co-operation.”
Read more
The Justice, Crime Prevention and Security (JCPS) Cluster showed its commitment to community safety when Minister Mmamoloko Kubayi led a focused outreach programme in Mthatha, Eastern Cape, on 18 September 2025. The programme was designed to address crime and violence through a visible, coordinated government response.
Read more
The Department of Correctional Services (DCS) convened a National Parole Review Summit at Kgosi Mampuru II Correctional Facility on 22–23 September 2025. The goal: fix systemic flaws, rebuild public trust, and sharpen how parole supports community safety. For two days, experts, policymakers, and victim support groups sat around the same table to discuss how to balance rehabilitation with public safety.
Read more
The Integrated Justice System (IJS) and the Office of the Chief Justice (OCJ) reached a major milestone when the Court Online project was nominated for the prestigious Digital Governance Award at GovTech 2025 in Durban. The nomination recognised the project’s role in modernising justice delivery, digitising case management, and making court processes more transparent and efficient. Standing alongside initiatives such as the Information Regulator’s data programme, the CIPC Beneficial Ownership Register, and eventual category winner SALGA, Court Online’s nomination was a strong endorsement of its national impact.
Read more
Beyond awards, GovTech 2025 served as a strategic platform for shaping the justice sector’s digital future. The conference highlighted crucial trends such as cybersecurity, cloud adoption, connectivity in rural areas, and the growing role of artificial intelligence in public service delivery. For the IJS team, these discussions were not abstract but practical lessons for strengthening the justice value chain.
Read more
Minister of Justice and Constitutional Development, Ms. Mmamoloko "Nkhensani" Kubayi addressed the National Assembly on the Office of the Chief Justice (OCJ) Budget Vote, reaffirmed government’s commitment to modernising South Africa’s courts through digital innovation.
Read more
The journey to modernise South Africa’s criminal justice system continues to gain traction, with the spotlight now firmly on the South African Police Service’s (SAPS) Integrated Person Management (IPM) system. This advancement is part of the broader Integrated Justice System (IJS) modernisation and digitisation strategy, which aims to improve coordination, efficiency, and information-sharing across justice cluster departments.
Read more
It is all systems go for court users at the Middelburg High Court as the Court Online system went live on 22 May 2025. This means the court has begun the move from paper files to a digital system that allows documents to be filed and accessed electronically.
Read more
Digital transformation in the justice system is not only about technology. It's about the people who make the system work every day. On the 27th June in Bisho , court officials from across the Eastern Cape came together for the Change Champions and Agents Workshop, hosted by the Office of the Chief Justice (OCJ) in partnership with the Integrated Justice System (IJS) Programme.
Read more
Remarkable strides have been made in the quest towards an effective South African justice system since the technology visions of some 30 years ago – an era of modernising the next-generation technology of the time, rapidly evolving it into the user-orientated tools that formed the foundation for the world we know today.
Read more
This month, we are shining a light on a significant step further for South Africa’s justice system.
Read more
The IJS held its strategic planning session on February 20-21, 2025, at Diep in die Berg in Pretoria.
Read more
The Western Cape High Court has officially embraced the digital age with the launch of the Court Online system, marking a significant step in the judiciary’s modernisation journey.
Read more
The Integrated Justice System (IJS) Programme Management Office (PMO) is taking a significant step forward in its commitment to excellence. In an exciting development, the PMO has begun piloting the implementation of a Project Portfolio Office (PPO) system. This initiative aims to bolster project management, governance, and change management across all IJS projects.
Read more
The national pilot of IPM's latest enhancements has been met with enthusiasm across various provinces:
Read more
In showcasing technological advancement in law enforcement, the South African Police Service (SAPS) - Integrated System Management, (IPM) system proved its worth in a recent case spanning multiple jurisdictions.
Read morePlease wait...