OPENING OF THE REGIONAL OFFICE: KWAZULU-NATAL

Issued by: SA Communication Service

MEDIA STATEMENT REGARDING THE OFFICIAL OPENING OF THE REGIONAL OFFICE: KWAZULU-NATAL (DURBAN) OF THE DEPARTMENT OF JUSTICE ON 27 FEBRUARY 1998

One of the first major challenges that the Department of Justice faced after April 1994 was the process of integrating the eleven separate Justice Departments which existed in the past into one unified Department. To do this the Department immediately began:

• Rationalising laws and institutions;
• Forming a coherent and uniform legal system throughout the country;
• Streamlining the structures of various justice institutions;
• Making processes and standards uniform; and
• Ensuring that resources are distributed equally.

This signalled the start of the transformation process, a process that is still continuing and which has been documented as Justice Vision 2000.

On 20 November 1996 the Minister of Justice, Dr A M Omar approved the implementation of the rationalised departmental structure consisting of a newly established Head Office as well as nine Regional Offices - one such office in each of the Provinces. Within this context the Regional Office of the Department of Justice in KwaZulu-Natal came into operation on 1 November 1997 with Mr M J Langenhoven as Regional Head.

The key responsibilities of this office relates to:

• Human Resource Development and management in order to establish a personal corps which is service orientated;
• Community outreach to ensure positive relationship with communities, including NGO's and Community Based Organisations relevant to the administration of justice. Reach out specifically to the disadvantaged and disempowered to achieve greater participation in the administration of justice;
• Financial Resource Management to facilitate sound and effective control systems;
• Legal Administration with the objective to attain effective administration of justice responsive to community needs.

The KwaZulu-Natal Regional Office of the Department of Justice will be officially opened by the Minister of Justice, Dr A M Omar, on 27 February 1998.

ISSUED BY COMMUNICATION SERVICES, DEPARTMENT OF JUSTICE ON BEHALF OF THE REGIONAL HEAD: KWAZULU-NATAL

26 FEBRUARY 1998 PRETORIA

ENQUIRIES: MR M J LANGENHOVEN (REGIONAL HEAD) TEL : (031) 301 5303 FAX : (031) 301 5341