North West High Court
The North West High Court, Mafikeng (formerly the Bophuthatswana Division and commonly known as the Mafikeng High Court) is one of the High Courts of South Africa. It sits at Mafikeng and has general jurisdiction over part of North West Province, including the former Bophuthatswana; the rest of the province falls under the jurisdiction of the North Gauteng High Court, Pretoria.
History
In November 1977 a High Court was established at Mmabatho (now a suburb of Mafikeng) to take over the jurisdiction of the provincial divisions of the Supreme Court of South Africa in the bantustan of Bophuthatswana. A month later Bophuthatswana achieved nominal independence from South Africa and the High Court became the Supreme Court of Bophuthatswana. At first its decisions could be appealed to the Appellate Division of the Supreme Court of South Africa, but in 1982 a separate Appellate Division was established within the Bophuthatswana court.[1] When Bophuthatswana was reincorporated in South Africa on 27 April 1994, the court remained in existence, but three months later the Appellate Division was abolished and its jurisdiction transferred to the South African Appellate Division.[2] When the final Constitution came into force in 1997 the remaining General Division of the Supreme Court of Bophuthatswana became one of the High Courts of South Africa. In 2001 the magisterial districts of Vryburg, Lichtenburg, Coligny, Zeerust, Groot Marico, Swartruggens, Koster, Rustenburg and Delareyville were added to its jurisdiction. It was known as the Bophuthatswana Division until given its current name in 2009.
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