Chairperson, hon Ministers, members of executive councils and members, this review debate is of great significance because it involves three Ministries whose area of responsibility and performance affects every person living in our country.
Although politicians and academics may abuse statistics to portray a situation to suit their individual purposes, it is no secret that our country is racked by crime, our judicial system is choked by backlogs, our prisons are bursting at the seams, and that our police force is underresourced and appears to be demoralised. Certainly, an honest assessment of the underlying causes of these problems is necessary, but the time for workshops or talk shops with no action has passed.
The hon the Minister of Justice made a vague statement today that magistrates are now working upwards of four and a half hours. Perhaps he will tell us what the actual average is. However, aside from wrangling over what the hours are, we need to ask: How did the situation arise? What is being done to correct it? How can we justify what is being spent on magistrates' courts if they only work slightly more than half a working day? Is the public getting value for money?
There were reports in the media yesterday that two alleged murderers walked free from a court in Pretoria as a result of bureaucratic bungling. The SA Press Association reports that the prosecutor could not find the docket and withdrew the charges. [Interjections.] The police now have to launch a manhunt to rearrest these people. In these circumstances it is not difficult to understand why the police are demoralised. These incidents and facts undermine the confidence of the public in the judicial system. The mere fact that organisations such as Mapogo a Mathamaga exist at all shows how far down this road we have already travelled. [Interjections.]
The standing of the courts was further undermined when an official of the ANC, Mr Smuts Ngonyama, accused the Supreme Court of Appeal of racial bias in the Boesak case. For the second time in a relatively short period the Chief Justice and President of the Constitutional Court had to rush to the defence of the judiciary.
Ironically, the Department of Justice has to grapple with fraud, corruption and criminality within its own ranks. The latest Auditor-General's report on the Department of Justice, for the year ending on 31 March 1999, revealed that R2 545 170 worth of warrant vouchers were fraudulently acquired and traded. This could not have been accomplished without the collusion of members of the Department of Justice. What needs to be done? Firstly, corrupt officials need to be rooted out. The country cannot afford to play the ANC's own particular brand of musical chairs, in which a corrupt official is merely transferred from one post to another or, after a few months out of the public eye, shows up in his old post as if nothing has happened.
Secondly, hands-on management is required. The department's problems will not be solved by simply throwing money at them. The Minister has to ensure that the money is being used for the purpose for which it is intended. There is no room for squandering and waste. The short-term, medium-term and long-term goals of the department must be attained. The Minister has to ensure that discipline is restored to the department. Magistrates and prosecutors must fulfil their duties diligently. Court backlogs must be brought under control. The public's confidence in the judicial system must be restored as quickly as possible.
In the briefing by the Department of Correctional Services we were informed that most of the escapes from custody occurred ... [Time expired.]