Mr Speaker, allow me to express my heartfelt gratitude to members of my committee for being so exemplary in working together in the spirit of camaraderieship or comradeship.
May I also thank the staff for the sterling service that they are giving to my committee. It is now my singular honour and privilege, Mr Speaker, to present to the House the report on regulations relating to the Child Justice Act as tabled, as well as directives pertaining thereto.
In nature, most, if not all, living beings take care of their young. This is so because it is generally recognised that the future of any species depends in no small measure on the survival of its young. We as the human race are no exception to this rule. In fact, we have even greater responsibilities in this regard, given our superior make-up in relation to other beings.
Amongst other things, we are social beings with an unrivalled social consciousness and the ability to reduce our thoughts to both the spoken and the written word. In today's world, given the vast knowledge base we have built up over the centuries, we in fact hold the destiny of the world in our hands. This adds to our burden of obligations as human beings.
In order to have social cohesion, we have introduced rules which govern how we relate to one another. Law represents perhaps the highest form of the rules governing modern-day society. This law is supposed to apply to the whole of society, regardless of one's age, race, colour or gender.
However, we do know for a fact that in the real world the law applies differently to people in court, with positions that they occupy principally in the economy in relation to the whole of society. This is particularly so in a society divided by social and economic classes, a society torn apart by racial barriers, a society suffering the scourge of gender divisions and a society such as ours.
The result is that as a country, we have embarked on a historic voyage away from the apartheid legal system and the jurisprudence underpinning it, to a democratic and people-centred legal system. In this regard our vision is of a secure, stable and prosperous South Africa, at peace with herself, and at peace with the world.
Transformation is the word we use broadly to describe the process of change to that strategic end. Each piece of legislation we pass, each oversight activity we embark upon, should therefore be seen in that context. A summary of the Child Justice Act can easily be styled - handled with care - by creative minds.
Like adults, children too often break the law. Given their immaturity and vulnerability, they could be said to be fragile goods on the train of our criminal justice system. Once they commit a crime and get caught, they join an army of adult offenders on board the train of the criminal justice system.
These regulations and directives regulate how they should be handled from the moment of arrest until they disembark from the system. The big ideals are to ensure that the system does not apply adult standards and procedures to children, whilst ensuring that children take responsibility for their own actions. I now proceed to formally table these regulations and directives for adoption by the House. We have noted the challenges with regard to the regulations given, that this is multidepartmental legislation. In terms of the co-operation that is required from all the departments, there is a lot which still needs to be done to ensure the maximum effectiveness of this Act before the launch on 1 April.
Furthermore, the Act requires the Minister of Justice and Constitutional Development to develop a national policy framework for child justice. The framework must be adopted and tabled in Parliament in accordance with the requirements of the Act. Thank you very much, Speaker. [Applause.]
There was no debate. Directives issued in terms of section 97(4) of the Child Justice Act (Act No 75 of 2008) approved.
Regulations relating to the Child Justice Act (Act No 75 of 2008) approved.