Chief Justice Mogoeng Mogoeng has warned political parties of using the courts for resolving their "family matters", News24 reported. Mogoeng addressed the Cape Town Press Club on Wednesday night.
"If we push our courts to the point where it literally becomes a raw political player, we are exposing it to criticism that could have been avoided," he reportedly said.
The ANC in five provinces has reportedly approached the courts recently to resolve internal disputes.
Mogoeng reportedly said: "We owe it to this democracy make sure that we are very careful about the responsibilities we impose on our courts."
He also called on South Africans to speak out against unwarranted attacks on the judiciary.
Mogoeng also warned that those in power were quick to accuse the courts of judicial overreach when judgments were not in their favour. He said the entire judiciary was accused of overreaching if just one judge passed a contentious ruling.