Deputy Speaker and hon Members of Parliament, this was tabled as the Code of Judicial Conduct and Regulations on Judges' Disclosure of Registrable Interests. In the beginning there was a joint committee consisting of the ad hoc committee of the National Assembly and the ad hoc committee for the National Council of Provinces. Later on, it was realised that the work would be easier if the joint committee split and then the ad hoc committee of the National Assembly continued with the work.
I am, today, presenting the one portion where we were dealing with the code of judges' conduct or judicial conduct. The public hearings have been held, completed and finalised. What we are dealing with here is the first part that deals with the code of judges' conduct. The second part that deals with the regulations on judges' disclosure of registrable interests is still outstanding, the reason being that there are discussions between the heads of courts and the Chief Justice, and it is expected that some consensus will be reached between the two.
Now for the interest of this House, what are we talking about here? We are talking about the code which is intended to assist every judge in dealing with ethical and professional issues and to inform the public about the judicial ethos of the Republic. Further on, it deals with judicial independence, namely that a judge must uphold the independence and integrity of the judiciary. Further on, it also deals with the need that a judge should act honourably.
There is also a section that deals with equality, namely that a judge must, at all times, give special attention to the right to equality before the law, and the right to equal protection and benefit of the law. There are also sections dealing with transparency, fair trial and diligence, namely that a judge must perform all assigned judicial duties diligently. This code of conduct also deals with association, namely that a judge must not belong to any political party or a secret organisation. There is also a section that deals with extra judicial income. I must say that sometimes it happens that a judge will be doing some work and receive royalties for legal books written or edited. The code then says that there must be written consent from the Minister, acting in consultation with the Chief Justice.
I would like to thank all the members of the ad hoc committee who participated in this committee. I must say that they made my work, as the Chairperson, very easy. It was unanimously agreed that this code of conduct should be adopted. As a result, I hereby table this for consideration. Ngiyathokoza, inaga ayilale [Peace be with you]. [Applause.]
There was no debate.
Declarations of vote: