“Before 1994 we didn’t have black judges at all. But now 12 years into democracy we can see movement in the transformation in gender and race,” he said on Wednesday, addressing legal practitioners at a two-day gender conference attended by legal practitioners, including High Court Judges from Kenya, Nigeria, Mozambique and Namibia.
De Lange said transformation was a process and not an event, adding that the bench needed to rebuild its credibility, “since it lost credibility during the apartheid era.”
“It is not only government but also the judiciary system that must play a role in the rehabilitation of courts,” he said.
The Deputy Minister also challenged the legal fraternity to debate transformation as an “ideological component.”
“It has to do with the value systems. We want transformation that will reflect the values contained in our constitution,” he said.
President Thabo Mbeki said Sunday the department would produce a White Paper on transformation in the judiciary to be available for public comment by the end of this year. – BuaNews
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