Chief Justice Mandisa Maya has warned that South Africa's judiciary remains only partially independent, with chronic under-resourcing, staff shortages, and failing infrastructure undermining public confidence in the courts.

Speaking at the 2026 Judiciary Conference, she highlighted that institutional weaknesses are no longer just administrative issues but constitutional failures threatening access to justice.

Despite the Constitution guaranteeing judicial independence, the country has yet to establish a judiciary that can fully govern and resource itself without executive reliance.

Maya emphasized that judicial officers bear the burden of case adjudication in a system where governance and resourcing are misaligned with a single judicial authority.

While the government is implementing legislation to grant the judiciary greater administrative control, negotiations over the institutional model have faced challenges.

The Chief Justice stressed that the pressing task is to address these systemic issues to ensure the judiciary can function effectively and independently.