STATEMENT BY THE MINISTER OF JUSTICE, MR DULLAH OMAR ON MAJOR COURT UPGRADING PROJECT
I am happy to announce that, after negotiation with the Minister of Reconstruction and Development Mr Jay Naidoo, there is agreement that an amount of R200 million will be made available to assist the Departments of Justice, Safety and Security and Correctional Services in the fight against crime.
A significant proportion of the funding will be spent on strengthening the Justice infrastructure and upgrading our courts through the country.
I have been deeply concerned about the state of our courts since I came into office. The legacy of apartheid which created eleven departments of justice is still with us and there are deep inequalities in the resources available to courts in different areas. In my Budget Speech in Senate earlier this year I drew attention to the fact that some of our courts lack even the most basic amenties - existing in the virtual squalour of blocked toilets, leaking roofs, and inadequate seating. It is in these conditions that they are expected to administer justice to South Africans.
This welcome injection of funding from the RDP Office will help us to make a signficant impact on our courts.
Issued by the Minister of Justice. For more information, contact Susan de Villiers at 012-457506 or page 021-215420 code 27989.