The minister said there were countless court cases the government had lost against private litigants hence the accusations that the judiciary was captured by the State did not hold water.

"There are countless instances where private citizens and institutions have taken government or government institutions to every level of the court system.

"To seek to cast aspersions on the judiciary and accusing the courts of lacking independence on the basis of a few cases where the courts have ruled in favour of government is in government's view, preposterous.

"To suggest that government must lose every case in which it is a party is equally outrageous, to further accuse the courts of being captured because you have lost a case, but coy when you have won, is simply being disingenuous.

"That perverted understanding of judiciary independence must never be allowed because if it were, there would be no need for courts to adjudicate in disputes involving government."