Voorsitter, my inligting is dat dit waarskynlik die laaste keer is wat die agb voorsitter van die portefeuljekomitee hier in daardie hoedanigheid optree. Ek wil vir haar s dit was 'n voorreg om saam met haar te werk.
Ons sal haar skerp intellek en deeglike voorbereiding mis. Sy is bekend as iemand wat nogal hardkoppig kan wees, maar ek moet bys sy is altyd diplomaties hardkoppig. Dit is jammer dat ons so min tyd het om werklik belangrike wetgewing te debatteer in hierdie Huis. (Translation of Afrikaans paragraphs follows.)
[Dr T J DELPORT: Chairperson, my information is that this is probably the last time that the hon chairperson of the portfolio committee will act in this capacity here. Therefore, I want to tell her that it has been a privilege working with her.
We will miss her sharp intellect and thorough preparation. She is known as someone that can be somewhat stubborn at times, but I should add that she is always diplomatically stubborn. It is a pity that we have so little time to really debate important legislation in this House.]
I cannot do justice to what I have to say in four minutes, let alone enter into a debate with the hon Deputy Minister for Justice and Constitutional Development on specific issues.
Laat ek s ons ondersteun hierdie wetgewing en ons ondersteun absoluut sterk en streng vonnisse. Trouens, ons wil graag h alle kriminele moet voor die gereg kom staan en deur 'n behoorlike proses gaan. Sover dit verkragting betref, laat ek dit dadelik s, ek persoonlik sou vir verkragting met verswarende omstandighede - en ek praat nie namens my party nie, maar persoonlik - die doodstraf sou wou sien. S sterk voel ek daaroor. (Translation of Afrikaans paragraph follows.)
[Let me say that we support this legislation and we absolutely support harsh and strict sentences. In fact, we would like to see all criminals brought before a court of law and go through a proper process. With regard to rape, let me say immediately, that for rape with aggravating circumstances - and I am not talking on behalf of my party, but in my personal capacity - I would like to see the death penalty. This is how strongly I feel about this.]
Against this background I must express some reservations on the constitutionality of the clause that limits the discretion of the court to deviate from the prescribed minimum sentence. In terms of the Bill, a court may not rely on certain factors in order to find a reason to impose a lesser sentence, and the chairperson did list these instances.
I am of the opinion that Parliament, here at the very least, borders on interfering with the discretion of the court. We know that the Constitutional Court has ruled that minimum sentences are not per se unconstitutional.
Hierdie bepaling gaan nou veel verder. Dit is nog altyd die imperatief dat 'n hof die totale posisie van 'n beskuldigde sal oorweeg by die oplegging van 'n gepaste vonnis. Wat ons hier vind is dat daardie diskresie, nee ek wil verder gaan, daardie verpligting op die hof om na die totale prentjie te kyk nou aan bande gel word.
Ek dink ons wil 'n probleem wat bestaan op die verkeerde plek regmaak, want nie alleen kan daar dalk geargumenteer word - ek s nie dit is so nie - dat ons hier inmeng met die bevoegdheidsonafhanklikheid van die regbank, maar daar is 'n ander fasset wat net so belangrik is. Sal 'n beskuldigde nie kan aanvoer dat hy nie 'n regverdige verhoor gekry het nie omdat sy totale prentjie nie deur die hof oorweeg mag geword het nie? (Translation of Afrikaans paragraphs follows.)
[This provision now goes much further. It has always been the imperative that the court will evaluate the total position of an accused when imposing an appropriate sentence. What we find here is that this discretion, no I want to go further, this obligation of the court to look at the whole picture is now being restricted.
I think we want to rectify an existing problem in the wrong place, because not only could it be argued - I am not saying this is the case - that we are interfering with the competency independence of the judiciary, but there is another facet that is just as important. Could an accused not say that he did not get a fair trial because his total circumstances could not be considered by the court?]
The imposition, however, of minimum sentences is but a small part of the solution to the overall problem we have. The criminal justice system as a whole needs to be upgraded if the crime wave is to be stopped in its tracks.
As far as this legislation and this particular clause are concerned, I will await further developments, possibly in our courts, with bated breath. We support this Bill, because we think extreme situations like those we are experiencing today need extreme measures. I thank you.