Exploration of traditional judicial systems through the built form: a proposed traditional judicial facility in Msinga, KwaZulu-Natal.

Abstract

The roles and functions of the traditional judicial court's system can be traced back to the precolonial era and up to the period of the current democratic dispensation, this system has been going through a continuous transformation in bridging the gaps restricting the system from being a more effective form of the justice system. A specific provision has been made in the Constitution that mandates Traditional Courts to provide a uniform legislative framework for the structure and functioning of this judicial system, in line with constitutional imperatives and values, and to provide for matters connected therewith. This study explores the traditional judicial system through the built form, with the objectives of understanding the impact which the built form plays in the execution of the Traditional Judicial Court system and conceptualising the envisioned traditional court bill or framework into an effective built form that caters to contemporary needs of the society it serves. Some of the key theories and concepts which will be utilised as an investigatory tool to achieve this are Critical Regionalism, Space Syntax, Phenomenology, and Symbolism with a mixedmethod research approach of primary and secondary data analysis.