By Alex Eliseev
The Johannesburg High Court is still in recess, but the nightmare of unbearably hot courtrooms, broken elevators and water cuts has already begun.
On Monday, 13 people were trapped in one of the court's lifts for about an hour, a source at the court told The Star on Tuesday.
When the group were rescued, three people had passed out - two from the heat and one after suffering an asthma attack.
And when the paramedics arrived, they battled to get their stretchers up to the right floor because the other lifts were out of order.
The lift's passengers were apparently on their way to the ground floor, where only one toilet was reportedly operating amid a lengthy water cut at the building.
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The source had witnessed the people being evacuated from the lift, saying: "It was so undignified. The ladies had their tops off trying to get air."
To make matters worse, the source said, the court had been largely without water since the middle of last week. As a result, the toilets had been a no-go area, there was no drinking water, and cleaning of the building could not take place.
Since the water problems began last week, staff working on the top floors of the building had repeatedly been sent home early (sometimes at midday) to escape the "totally unbearable" situation.
About 150 people work on the top three floors of the building in Pritchard Street.
On top of everything else, the airconditioning in the building has been faulty since about August, leaving the courtrooms stuffy and difficult to work in. Most prosecutors have resorted to bringing their own fans to stay cool during hearings.
The official line is that the airconditioners are in the process of being replaced.
"There is no way to describe it," the source said. "It's frightening."
The tale of the faulty lifts has been reported extensively over the past few years, but little has been done about a problem that inconveniences the public and the court's prosecutors alike.
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