Issued by: Ministry of Justice
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 without Portfolio in charge of Reconstruction and Development, Mr Jay Naidoo, there is agreement that an amount of R200 million will be made available to assist the Department of Justice, Safety and Security and Correctional Services in the fight against crime. Further negotiations are proceeding.
A significant proportion of the funding will be spent on strengthening the Justice infrastructure and upgrading our courts throughout 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 amenities - existing in the virtual squalor of blocked toilets, leaking roofs, and inadequate seating. Many of them lack even the most basic legal texts. 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 significant 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.