Sakeliga announces R5m pilot project for commercial arbitration in Pretoria
18 October 2021
The business organisation Sakeliga will tomorrow announce a pilot project with more than R5 million in pro deo* (free) arbitration services for commercial arbitration in Pretoria.
The project aims to help solve the huge backlog of commercial cases on the court roll in South Africa, which is seriously hampering the economy. Parties with trial-ready commercial cases in the Pretoria High Court are invited to refer their disputes to a suitable arbitrator on Sakeliga's arbitrator list.
"There are several commercial parties on the court roll who have been waiting for a court date for months now, but cannot spend hundreds of thousands of rands on arbitration. Sakeliga's arbitration project makes it possible for those parties to have their disputes settled at no additional cost, by experienced lawyers and attorneys who are willing to act as pro deo arbitrators. It is encouraging that the advocates and lawyers we approached have so readily stepped forward and the project can now be launched,” says Piet le Roux, CEO of Sakeliga.
For the pilot project, around forty lawyers and advocates in Pretoria, including 20 senior advocates, offered their services as pro deo arbitrators -- free of charge in the interest of the administration of justice and common good. The services are available for trial-ready commercial cases that can be completed within three days and fall within the specialist fields of the arbitrators. Taken together, the value of the services offered pro deo by the arbitrators exceeds R5 million.