Ke a leboha Motlatsa Moodulasetulo, Motlatsa Letona le maloko a hlomphehang a Ntlo, re lakatsa hore Voutu ya Ditekanyetso e thuse ho ntshetsa pele boikitlaetso ba rona ba ho tlisa toka bathong bohle, ho nnetefatsa phihlello e lekanang ho bohle. Ho nnetefatsa phihlello ya toka ho batho ba rona bohle, ho tla fedisa mehopolo ya hore mekgwa ya molao ha e kgone ho lwantsha botlokotsebe le manyofonyofo.
Dilemong tse 17 tse fetileng, ANC e behelletse phetoho ya boahlodi sehlohlolong ho latela ponelopele ya tokomane ya tokolloho ya Molaotheo. Tokomane ya Tokolloho ya rona e re; bohle ba tla lekana molaong". Molaotheo wa 1994 o kentse setheo sena Biling ya Ditokelo. ANC e se e kgathile tema ho fetola boahlodi ho tloha ka 1994. Maemong a mokgwa wa molao, Tokomane ya Tokoloho le Molaotheo ke kgokahanyo ya maikutlo a ANC ho tloha ka 1912. Maikutlo ana a teng ho Bili ya Ditokelo ya 1924 le Ditseko tsa Maafrika tsa 1942, moo tokelo ya ho vouta, toka e lekanang le ditokelo tse ding, di ileng tsa tsekwa.
Kamora moo, Freedom Charter e ile ya ananelwa ka 1995 ka sepheo sa ho beha boahlodi boemong bo bo loketseng setjhabeng. Ditokelo tsena hammoho le boitseko ba sepolotiki, di qetelletse ka ho tswa ha ditataiso tsa Molaotheo ka ANC ka 1998, lenaneo la kahobotjha le ntshetsopele le Molaotheo wa 1996.
Ka nako ya puso ya kgethollo makgotla a dinyewe e ne e le disebediswa tsa ho hatella ba sa dumellaneng le mmuso. Dilemong tsa bo 1950 ho ya bohareng ba 1960, mmuso o hlotse dintwa tse ngata tsa boitseko o sebedisa melao ya kgatello. Mohlala, ka 1965, ho kwallwa o le nnotshi, ho ne ho atile molaong wa Afrika Borwa.
Karolo ya botshelela ya Molao wa Boferekanyi ya 1967, e ne e fana ka matla ho mapolesa ho kwalla mang kapa mang ya belaellwang ka boferekanyi. Karolo ena e ile ya nenwa ke mofu Van Niekerk ha a ne a etsa kgweletso ho baahlodi ho se sebelletse mmuso ka ho se tsotelle bopaki ba batshwaruwa ba kwalletsweng ka tlasa karolo ya botshelela ya Molao wa Boferekanyi. Hamorao profesara ya molao e ile ya tjhotjhiswa ka ho nyatsa lekgotla la dinyewe.
Modulasetulo, ha re a tlameha ho lebala hore nakong ya puso ya kgethollo, dikamano pakeng tsa boahlodi le ba phethahatso, di ne di sa hlaka mme ho bonahala boahlodi bo ne bo sa sekametse ntlhakemong ya sepolotiki ya nako eo.
Ka nako ya dilemo tsa phethoho leano la ANC e ne e le ho batla ho kgothalletsa ditheo tsa bohlokwa le puso ya molao jwalokaha di hlahella Molaotheong ho nnetefatsa karohano ya matla pakeng tsa ketsamelao, phethahatso le boahlodi ho kgothalletsa boikarabelo le boikemelo ba boahlodi. Ho bonahala hore sepheo sa leano se tsepame tsamaisong ya toka le mokgwa wa boahlodi.
Phetoho ya makgotla a dinyewe le diphetoho tsa ditheo di a hlokeha hore Maafrika Borwa a be le kuno e lekanang le tshireletso ya molao ho latela tiisetso ya Molaotheo.
Ditekanyetso tsena di tshwanela ho lokisa dikgaello tse teng tse hlokolotsi tsa makgotla a dinyewe tse kenyeletsang Lekgotla la Molaotheo le Lekgotla la Boipiletso tse leng ka sehlohlolong ka bobedi ho fuwa boemo bo hodimodimo ke Molaotheo, e leng se bakang ditsi tse pedi tsa molao.
Makgotla a Phahameng, le ao a sa tswa fetola mabitso hore a bontshe mabitso a diprofensi tseo a leng ho tsona, a ntse a sebetsa ho latela meedi ya pele ho 1994 ya mahae a phutlameng a Transkei, Venda, Bophuthatswana, Ciskei, TVBC, le RSA. Ke kahoo Lekgotla le Phahameng la Gauteng Leboea le tshwere dibaka tsa Transefala ya mehleng, tse kenyeletsang Mpumalanga, Limpopo, Brits, North West, Potchefstroom, tseo kaofela e seng karolo ya Gauteng ho ya ka Molaotheo.
Re tlameha ho nnetefatsa hore kabo ya dinyewe makgotleng e etswa hantle ho sa natswe bong, mmala kapa tumelo. Sepheo ke ho fedisa mehopolo ya hore dinyewe tsa setjhaba di behelwa dihlopha tse itseng tsa batho. Ho na le katleho e bonahalang ho nnetefatsa kemedi e lekaneng le phihlello ya toka ke bohle. Boemedi ka mmala le bong di hlakile. Sepheo ke ho tsetela boahlodi hara batho bao bo ba sebeletsang ho latela nalane le botjhaba ba bona. Melao e mengatangata e amanang le diphethoho tsena, e entswe dilemong tse 17 tse fetileng.
Ho na le meralo ya melao le mekgatlo e shebaneng le phihlello ya toka ke bohle ka kotloloho. Khomishene ya Ditshebeletso tsa Baahlodi e laola ditaba tsa boitshwaro le khiro, melawana le maemo ho nnetefatsa botshepehi le boahlodi le ho se sehe mpa ka lehare.
Ditekanyetso tsena di tlameha ho nnetefatsa phihlello ya toka ke dihlopha tse kotsing ya tlatlapo tse kang basadi, bafutsana, bana le batho ba holofetseng, hammoho le basebetsi. Ke motlotlo ho bolela hore re se re hatetse pele haholo mabapi le phihlello ya toka ho tloha makgotleng a tlase ho fihlela lekgotleng la Molaotheo. Batho ba bonngwe, bafutsana le batho mahaeng le ba mapolasing, ba ka ipopa ho ipiletsa kgahlanong le diqeto tsa Mafapha a Mmuso, diqeto tse itseng tsa makgotla a dinyewe, jwalojwalo.
Khomishene ya Ditokelo tsa Botho ya Afrika Borwa, Legal Aid SA le Lefapha la Toka le Ntshetsopele ya Molaotheo, ba ikemiseditse ka matsholo a thuto ya Molaotheo ho nnetefatsa hore setjhaba se fihlella toka mme le mosebetsi o hloka tjhelete.
Ditho tse amanang le boikarabelo ba boahlodi, bosiyo ba leeme esita le boikemelo, ke tsa bohlokwa. Karolo ya 165 e hlalosa hore makgotla a dinyewe a ikemetse mme a tlasa Molaotheo le molao feela, oo a tlamehang ho o sebedisa ntle le tshabo [Ha ho utlwahale] kapa ho etsa qeto e fosahetseng. Karolwana ya 4 e hlalosa hore makala a naha ka mokgwa wa ketsamolao le mekgwa e meng, a tlameha ho thusa le ho sireletsa makgotla a dinyewe ho nnetefatsa boikemelo, bosiyo ba leeme, seriti, phihlello le tshebetso e kgabane ya makgotla a dinyewe.
Naha e nang le Molaotheo wa demokerasi, boahlodi bo ikemetseng bo a hlokahala ho dumella ho nkuwa ha diqeto ho se nang leeme lehlakoreng la bahlanka ba boahlodi. Ho ya ka tshekatsheko ya bona ya mabaka le kutlwisiso ya bona ya molao ntle le ho thibelwa ke eng kapa eng. Ditshusumetso, ditshoso kapa ho itshunyatshunya. Boikemelo ba boahlodi bo tla thusa baahlodi le bommaseterata ho bontsha hlompho ya ditokelo tsa motho ka mong le tsa batho ka kopanelo le ditabatabelo.
Boikemelo ba boahlodi bo arohanngwe le boikarabelo. Molaotheong wa demokrasi, ho fapana le mehleng ya maswetso, baahlodi le bommaseterata ba ke ke ba ba eba marena metseng ya bona haele hore hantlentle ba tshwanetse ho ba makgotleng a molao ho sebeletsa setjhaba.
Leano la ANC le thusitse haholo ho etsa tlhokomediso ka seabo le mesebetsi ya makgotla a dinyewe mme Maafrika Borwa a na le tshepo ho feta pele. Boahlodi le setjhaba ba kgotse molemo diphethohong tsa tsamaiso. Ka mokgwa o jwalo, dipuisano tse matla le boahlodi, di atisa ho bonwa di le hlokolosi ebile di amana le Bebele. Bathong ba bang, baahlodi le bomaseterata ba nkuwa e le mahlomela a Modimo a sa tshwanelang ho nyatswa. Tlwaelo ena e ka nna ya sitisa diphethoho tsa boahlodi nakong e tlang.
Re tlameha ho sebedisa karolo ya ditjhelete tsena ho kenya thuto ka dikamano tsa boahlodi bo ikemetseng le boikarabelo setjhabeng sa demokerasi ka mokgwa o sa ferekanyeng maikutlo. Thuto ena e tlameha ho rerelwa ditho tsa boahlodi, setjhaba le baphatlalatsi ba ditaba.
Kgatelo pele e nngwe e entsweng ke ya hore makgotla a mangatanyana a dinyewe a ahilwe ke mmuso wa ANC setjhabeng ho ya ka mokgwatsamaiso wa toka ya bohle. Ditoloko tse makgotleng a dinyewe di ba teng bakeng sa moqosuwa e mong le e mong. Ka tsoseletso ya mokgwa wa molao, ho hlakile hore phetolo ya boahlodi e tla fihlellwa dilemong tse hlano tse tlang. Seo se tlamehang ho etswa ke ho lekanya phetolo ya baahlodi le ho ngoka diofisiri le ho iswa ha mosebetsi wa bona mafisa molemong wa ba bang ba bona bakeng sa ho ntlafatsa bophelo ba bohle. Re amohela lewa la phetoho le poloko ya ditshebeletso le tlang ho kenngwa tshebetsong selemong sena le se tlang, ho kenyeletsa ho akofiswa mekgwatsamaiso ya dikopo le ditefo; mesebetsi e amanang le diprojeke tsa phetoho le poloko ya ditshebeletso e behilweng ka pele bakeng sa Medium- Term Strategic Framework, MTSF, e akga ho fuputsa makgotla a dinyewe a ka Moqebelo a amanang le tjhelete ya letheka le ditho tse ding tse amanang le malapa; ho thehwa ha ditshebeletso tsa bonamodi dinthong tse amanang le tjhelete ya letheka; ho hlophisa thupelo ya boqhetseke ho bookamedi le basebeletsi ba sebetsanang le tjhelete ya letheka ka mokgwa le maemo a tjhelete eo.
Ka sebele re a di amohela diprojeke tse kgolo tsa moralo wa motheo tseo lefapha le di rerileng tse kang Lekgotla le Phahameng la Dinyewe la Limpopo le Polokwane le Lekgotla le Phahameng la Dinyewe la Mpumalanga le Nelspruit. Ho ahwa ha makgotla ana a dinyewe ka bobedi, ho tla thusa tlhahisong ya mesebetsi diindastering tsa meaho tsa dibaka tseo mme ha di se di sebetsa, ho tla hlokeha diofisiri le batsamaisi ba boahlodi.
Re thoholetsa lefapha ka ho hlwaya thekenoloji ya tlhahisoleseding e le yona e tlang ho thusa haholo. Leha ho le jwalo, ho tokotswa ha tjhelete ho amme merero ya poloko ya IT e le maemong a matle. Re ipiletsa hore ho ahwe botjha makgotla a rona a dinyewe, meralo ya motheo ya thekenoloji ya tshireletso ho fedisa dipaleho. Re tlameha ho fedisa ditjeo tsa ho eketsa tshireletso dibakeng tsa phano ya ditshebeletso ka ho sebedisa tshireletso ya sepolesa sa naha ho e na le bahlanka ba tshireletso ba khampani ya poraefete e jang tjhelete e ngata.
Modulasetulo, tshebetso ya makgotla le tshallo morao ya dinyewe nako e telele e sa hlokahaleng ya kgutlisetso morao ya dinyewe, dib a le seabo mehopolong ya hore makgotla a rona a ntse a sa fihlellwe ka botlalo. Tekanyetso ena e tshwanela ho thusa makgotla a rona ho shebana le tshallo morao ya dinyewe mme ka ho fetisisa, makgotleng a mabatowa ka lebaka la boikarabelo bo ekeditsweng ba makgotla ana ho shebana le tlolo tsa molao tse mpe ka ho fetisisa. (Translation of Sesotho paragraphs follows.)
[Mr T M H MOFOKENG: I thank you, Deputy Chairperson, Deputy Minister and hon members of the House, we want this Budget Vote to contribute to our commitment to justice for all our people to ensure universal and equal access. Ensuring access for all our people will debunk any perception that the criminal justice system, CJS, is ineffective in dealing with crime and corruption.
Over the past 17 years the ANC has prioritised transformation of the judiciary, inspired by the vision of the Freedom Charter and the Constitution. Our Freedom Charter said: "All will be equal before the law." The 1996 Constitution entrenched this principle in its Bill of Rights. The ANC has made progress in transforming the judiciary since 1994. In the context of the criminal justice system the Freedom Charter and the Constitution represent a consolidation of views expressed by the ANC since 1912. These pervaded the 1924 Bill of Rights and the 1942 Africans' Claims, whereby the right to vote, equal justice and other rights were demanded.
Subsequently, the Freedom Charter was adopted in 1995 and sought to place the judiciary in its proper position in society. These rights and a politically oriented struggle resulted in the ANC producing the constitutional guidelines in 1998, the Reconstruction and Development Programme and finally the 1996 Constitution.
Under apartheid rule, the courts were used as instruments to suppress opponents of the regime. During the 1950s to mid-1960s many struggles were defeated by the regime through tough repressive laws. For example, in 1965 detention under solitary confinement was common under South African law.
Section 6 of the Terrorism Act of 1967 provided that the police could detain anyone suspected of being a terrorist. This section was criticised by the late Prof Van Niekerk in calling upon judges not to become footmen by ignoring the evidence of detainees held under section 6 of the Terrorism Act. The law professor was later prosecuted for contempt of court.
Chairperson, we must not forget that during apartheid rule the relationship between judges and the executive was not clearly demarcated and there seems to be a certain degree of judicial loyalty to the political status quo of the time.
During the years of transition the ANC policy sought to promote fundamental principles and the rule of law as expressed in the Constitution to ensure the separation of powers between legislature, executive and judiciary to promote accountability and judicial independence. It appears that the objective has a focus on the administration of justice and the judicial system.
Transformation of the court system and institutional reforms are necessary if South Africans are to enjoy equal benefits and protection of the law guaranteed by the Constitution.
This budget must address some of the salient deficiencies of the court system, which involve the following. The Constitutional Court and the Supreme Court of Appeal are both accorded supreme status by the Constitution, thus providing two centres of jurisprudence.
The High Courts, despite their names having been recently changed to reflect the names of the provinces in which they are situated, still function in terms of territorial jurisdictions of the pre-1994 boundaries of the defunct TBVC homelands and RSA territory, hence the North Gauteng High Court exercises jurisdiction over the old Transvaal, which included Mpumalanga, Limpopo, Brits and Potchefstroom, all of which are, in terms of the Constitution, not part of Gauteng.
We must also ensure that the allocation of court cases is done properly without considering gender, race or religion. This is to debunk the perception that civil cases tend to be preserved for certain groups of people. There are noticeable achievements to ensure equal representivity and access to justice for all. Representation in terms of colour and gender is evident, the aim being to root the judiciary among the people they serve in relation to their history and culture. Significant numbers of pieces of legislation with a bearing on these goals have been passed in the last 17 years.
There is a legal framework and bodies that deal directly with justice for all. The Judicial Service Commission regulates matters of conduct and appointments, rules and standards to ensure judicial integrity and impartiality. This budget must ensure access to justice for the vulnerable groups such as women, the poor, children, persons with disabilities, and workers.
I am proud to say that we have made great strides in relation to access to justice from the lower courts to the Constitutional Court. Individual persons, poor and rural and farming communities can organise themselves and appeal various courts' decisions with regard to government departments, certain decisions of particular courts and so on.
The SA Human Rights Commission, Legal Aid South Africa and the Department of Justice and Constitutional Development are committed, through education campaigns about the Constitution, to ensure access to justice for our communities and this work requires financial resources.
The notions of judicial accountability, impartiality and independence are fundamental. Section 165 states that -
The courts are independent and subject only to the Constitution and the law, which they must apply impartially and without fear, favour or prejudice.
Subsection (4) states that -
Organs of state, through legislative and other measures, must assist and protect the courts to ensure the independence, impartiality, dignity, accessibility and effectiveness of the courts.
In a constitutional democratic state, an independent judiciary is necessary to allow for impartial decision-making on the part of judicial officers, in accordance with their assessment of the facts and their understanding of the law without any restrictions, inducements, influences, threats or interferences. The independence of the judiciary will help judges and magistrates to promote respect for individual rights and collective rights and interests.
Chairperson, judicial independence is inseparable from accountability. In a constitutional democracy, unlike in medieval periods, judges and magistrates cannot become kings in their own palace when in fact they are supposed to be in courts of law to serve communities.
The ANC policy has contributed significantly to promoting awareness about the roles and functions of courts and South Africans have more confidence than ever before. Both the judiciary and the public have benefited from the transformation of the system. Be that as it may, vigorous engagement with the judiciary tends to be seen as mechanical and biblical. In some circles judges and magistrates are perceived to be in the same position as God, and should not be criticised. This tendency might stifle judicial transformation in the near future.
We must use part of this budget to promote education on the relationship between judicial independence and accountability in a democratic society in a manner that is unsentimental. This education must target members of the judiciary, the public and the media.
Another indication of progress made is that a significant number of courts have been built by the ANC government in communities in line with the principle of justice for all. Court interpreters have been made available for every accused person. With the revamp of the criminal justice system, it is quite likely that transformation of the judiciary will be effectively realised in the next five years. What must not be done is to equate transformation of the judiciary with co-option of individual officers and outsourcing of their function for expediency, rather than for a better life for all.
We welcome the turnaround strategy for maintenance services that will be implemented this year and next year, including expediting application procedures and processing payments. Prioritised activities related to the maintenance service turnaround project for the Medium-Term Strategic Framework, MTSF, period include: investigating Saturday courts for maintenance and other family related matters; introducing mediation services for maintenance matters; and facilitating skills training for maintenance line managers and front line staff on maintenance norms and standards
Indeed, we welcome the department's planned major infrastructure projects, such as: the Limpopo High Court in Polokwane and the Mpumalanga High Court in Nelspruit. Building both courts will contribute to the creation of jobs in the local construction industry and, once operational, the courts will need judicial officers and administrators. We commend the department for identifying investment in information technology as a key enabler. However, budget cuts have affected the IT maintenance plan. We appeal for reconstruction of our courts' security- related technological infrastructure to combat escapes. We must curb the costs of increasing security at service delivery points by making use of state security police instead of expensive private companies' security guards.
Chairperson, the court processes, case backlogs and undue length of remand tend to contribute to perceptions that our courts are still not entirely accessible. This Budget Vote must help our courts deal with the case backlog, which is significantly higher in the regional courts due to the increased jurisdiction of the court to deal with more serious offences.]