In recent years, the Office of the Chief Justice has made significant strides in digitizing the judicial system. One of the major advancements is the implementation of the Caselines and Court Online systems. These systems were designed to allow legal practitioners and litigants to file documents electronically, a process known as e-filing, thereby reducing reliance on paper-based systems and modernizing the court process.
Initially rolled out in the Gauteng Division of the High Court, the Court Online system has been met with success. This digital platform has made filing documents more efficient, accessible, and sustainable.
On 28 March 2025, two significant directives were issued: Directive 01 of 2025 concerning the implementation of the Court Online electronic platform in the Labour Court, and Directive 01 of 2025 concerning its implementation in the Labour Appeal Court.
What You Need to Know About Directive 01 of 2025
With the release of Directive 01 of 2025, the Court Online electronic platform is no longer optional, it’s the new standard. From now on, all applications must be filed electronically in accordance with Rule 7 of the Labour Court Rules.
So, what does this mean in practice? It starts with uploading the initiating documents onto the system whereafter they are allocated a case number. The issued documents are then served on the Respondents/Defendants as the case may be.
Legal representatives are now responsible for bringing everyone on board, all parties involved, and the relevant court officials must be invited to the digital case file. In review matters, arbitration records must be submitted via a cloud-based service and uploaded onto the portal.
Urgent matters also need to go through Court Online. The matter should be clearly marked as “urgent” and get a provisional enrolment date from the Registrar before filing.
For matters proceeding at a standard pace, once the case is ready for hearing, practitioners must submit a notice of request for an enrolment date via the platform and notify the Registrar by email.
When the matter is ready for trial, the practitioner must submit a certificate of trial readiness confirming that everything is procedurally in order i.e. no pending interlocutory applications and all documents uploaded correctly. Without this, no trial date can be issued.
Importantly, return dates must be confirmed on Caselines. If a provisional enrolment isn’t finalised in time, the return date is lost. Only the processes laid out in the Directive can revive it.
Once all the steps have been complied with, a formal request for enrolment must be uploaded and aligned with the Registrar’s Provisional Roll. It is imperative at this stage to remember to invite the set-down office to the case.
Then there’s Caselines, the system linked to Court Online which is utilised at the presentation stage of the case. The system enables all parties as well as court staff and Judges to access the same documents, with system generated pagination, as well as various other built in features.
Finally, outcomes including orders, judgments, and post-hearing details will be available under “My Case Documents” on the platform.
Once your matter is concluded, the taxation process opens up. Bills of Costs and Notices of Intention to Tax must be uploaded, ensuring full digital compliance from start to finish.
Labour Appeal Court: Highlights of Directive 01 of 2025
The Labour Appeal Court is adopting the same digital-first approach as the Labour Court. In line with the Labour Appeal Court Rules, all petitions and appeals are now required to be submitted solely through the Court Online system.
Supporting documents — including notices, appeal records, proof of service, heads of argument, and practice notes — must be uploaded promptly and properly served on all relevant parties, in strict compliance with the prescribed procedures.
Conclusion:
These directives signal the beginning of a new era of digital litigation in both the Labour Court and Labour Appeal Court. Although the underlying legal rules remain unchanged, the shift toward electronic processes means that all legal practitioners must now become well-acquainted with the Court Online Portal and the Caselines system.
Full compliance is mandatory. Failure to adhere to the specified procedures may lead to a matter being struck from the roll or, in more serious instances, punitive cost orders.
The systems enable parties to track as well as action steps in their matters remotely without the need to attend at the Court, find physical files and then make requests in person. In addition, there are digital records for each action that is taken on the system so it is expected that there will be significantly more accuracy as well as an avoidance of the obvious difficulties of paper based litigation where on occasion documents are lost.
It is envisaged that the systems should streamline the litigation process and make matters easier to manage for both legal representatives as well as court staff.
The directives are accessible through these links:
https://www.judiciary.org.za/images/Directives/Directives_2025/LAC%20Directive%201%20of%202025%20-%2014%20April%202025.pdf
Article written by Cammy Marais