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The DA shares the concerns of the Alliance for Rural Democracy regarding the shambolic processing of the Traditional Courts Bill by the NCOP. It is clear that the Minister of Justice is acting in bad faith by tabling a Bill that is clearly unconstitutional whilst his department is busy substantially amending it.

The Minister has yet to give us a clear message on his position.

Our concerns arise from reports of yesterday’s public hearings, where it emerged that the Department of Justice has made significant changes to the Bill that has been tabled.

It is unacceptable that one version of a Bill has been tabled whilst another is being prepared by the Department.

Civil society groups are rightly outraged by this development as they do not know on which Bill they are making submissions.

The Minister must stop playing games by trying to appease traditional leaders at the expense of the rights of women. He must now make a clear declaration on whether he supports the Bill in its current form or not. If not, he must withdraw it.