Hon Chair, a lot still needs to be done to address the imbalances of the past, created by the apartheid regime. Our claim of 20 years of democracy means nothing if we preserve the laws that divide this country. We know, as a fact, that some challenges cannot be easily identified until they present themselves in a way that urgently requires the attention of this House and other relevant institutions.
Transition in the laws of this country remains a process that requires every citizen to play an active and meaningful role. As the AIC, we support the Attorneys Amendment Bill, which seeks to address the disparities in relation to attorneys in the four former republics.
While doing that, we also want to stress the need to respect the independence of our judicial institutions as stipulated in the Constitution of the Republic of South Africa. Our courts, including Chapter 9 institutions, meant to strengthen constitutional democracy, must be allowed to exercise their authority without fear or favour. It is this House that must protect and defend these institutions for the public to have confidence in them. I thank you.