Chair, hon Minister of Justice and Correctional Service, hon Minister of Police, hon Members of the Executive Council, MECs, in the House representing different provinces, hon guests, ladies and gentlemen, good afternoon.
I rise on behalf of this glorious movement of South African oldest liberation movement, the ANC in support of this Budget Vote No 21, as tabled by both Ministers today in this House. The vision of the democratic government of the ANC was to transform the justice system so as to implement the value of the new Constitution, especially the value of equality and dignity.
It was to ensure that the policies of South African first democratic government must work. The vision of Justice Vision 2000 was to have a system of justice that will give every person a fair and equal
access to justice and guarantee the dignity rights and security of every person and of all community regardless of race, gender or any class.
The democratic government of the ANC inherited a legal system which was designed to implement the colonial and later the apartheid policies. It was of this fragmented system and unfits to meet the demands of the new constitutional democracy which was unshared by the South African first ever and nonracial democratic election in 1994.
In the past, the courts system, the administrators or the estate and all other parts of the system of justice were modelled around the needs of white people who were made up of twenty percent of the national population. About eighty percent of the majority which include Africans, Coloureds and Indians had marginalised service that were segregated and of the low standard instead of being helped by the justice system where blacks were also victims.
The Human Rights have defined the struggle for freedom and justice as led by the ANC. When addressing the question of justice, access to justice is paramount.
The vision of Justice Vision 2000 is a system of justice that amongst other need to give every person a fair and equal access to justice and also to guarantee dignity rights and security of every person and of all community regardless of race, as the Minister also alluded to this issue of race, gender, money or any other differences.
The ANC-led government has made great strides in ensuring that justice is accessed by all. The courts built during the colonial apartheid regime were mainly built in white urban areas. The ANC-led government has built courts in townships today and in rural areas, thus is bringing justice close to the people.
The ANC-led government has progressively roll-out small claim courts to many areas as Minister Jeff has raised on this matter now in the country. Small claims courts are for minor civil disputes of up to the value of R20 000. They are conducted in a formally and speedily expensive manner and no legal representation is allowed.
Currently, there are four hundred and fifteen and the numbers were given by Jeff as to how many people has gone through that but the courts are four hundred and fifteen small claim courts in the country. We welcome the Department of Justice in undertaking the
legislative development in the legislative government small claims courts as the legislation predates and the Constitution.
The colonial and apartheid system denied in the main the black majority the right to access court and legal representation. Section 34 of our Constitution guarantees everyone the rights to access courts and independent and impartially tribunal of forums. Under the ANC-led government, everyone and not just some has the guarantee right to have their disputes heard and resolved by the application of the law.
Access to justice includes the rights to legal representation. There can be no justice when the justice system can be accessed only by the elite. When the poor can't seek relief or protection or enforce the rights in courts or other tribunal because of the exorbitant amount of the legal fees. There can be no justice when the criteria for access in justice are worth privilege.
The ANC-led government has ensured that the poor and indigent are not denied the legal representation. Legal Aid South Africa offers independent access and quality legal services for criminals and civil matter to those who can't afford to pay for legal services.
Over the past financial year, Legal Aid South Africa received
416 000 new matters. This shows that this government is at work.
Legal advice over the phone is also offered and more than 724 000 people were assisted by the organisation, including children over the past financial year. This is the good work.
As we celebrate the birth month of the President, comrade Nelson Rolihlahla Mandela, I wish to remind this august House of his words wherein he said and I quote: "Freedom can't be achieved unless women have been emancipated from all forms of oppression".
Owing to this patriarchal society we live in, women are usually the ones who suffered the most injustice whether it will be through gender based violence, femicide, abuse, lack of support in children maintainance or discrimination. The ANC led government has progressively rolled out sexual offences courts, like Thuthuzela and Khuseleka Care Centres. While this is a good and progressive move, there is a need to strengthen and capacitate these centres and courts.
On the issue of child maintenance, women usually suffer the most when it comes to child support. The Department of Justice introduced the MojaPay system which has proven to be successful as we speak
today. The ANC in its resolutions has called for harsher measures for maintenance order defaulters. We encourage the rollout of MojaPay system across the country. Women and children should not be made to suffer injustice.
The roll-out of maintenance courts and particularly the enactment of the Maintenance Amendment Act, Act 9 of 2015 shows that the ANC is commitment to the enhancement of the maintenance system and ensuring that the most vulnerable in society, which are women and children, are provided for by those who have an obligation to maintain them remains a priority of the department.
Equality Courts have been set up to provide assistance to those who believe that they have suffered unfair discrimination, hate speech or harassment. These courts make sure that it is easy for someone with such a case to bring their case to the court and that the issue is finalised as speedily as possible.
President Ramaphosa, in his inaugural state of the nation address made a commitment of urgently attending to the leadership issues at the National Prosecuting Authority, NPA, to ensure the stabilisation of this and other critical state institutions and to able them to
perform their mandate unhindered and intensify the fight against state capture and corruption.
In this regard, a new National Director of Prosecutions was appointed in February 2019, following a thorough and transparent selection process, to lead the NPA's revival and to strengthen the fight against crime. The committee welcomes the appointment and it was impressed by advocate frank engagement with it during the hearings.
As per the President's commitment to the establishment of an investigating directorate within the NPA, the committee also welcomes the establishment of same which will be dealing with serious corruption and associated offences, especially those highlighted by the various commissions of inquiry. The appointment of these two capable women to these positions reminds one of the words of the former ANC President, Oliver Tambo who, in the 1981 Conference of the Women's Section of the ANC said, and I quote:
We need to move from revolutionary declarations to revolutionary practice. We invite the ANC Women's Section, and the black women of South Africa, more oppressed and more exploited than any section of the population, to take up this challenge and assume
their proper role, outside the kitchen among the fighting ranks of our movement and at its command posts.
The ANC supports this Budget because we have a purpose that every system that is being set up without this department, is the department that is the heart of the country therefore we find no reason not to support this department. We therefore support this Budget. I thank you.