Chairperson, turning the tide in dealing with the backlog of criminal cases in our courts remains one of the primary challenges, yet it is also one of the critical objectives if you want to win the fight against crime. Our magistrates' courts currently have to deal with more than a million cases, of which it is reported that only about 375 000 have been finalised thus far and of which 86% have resulted in a conviction.
Our regional courts are apparently the worst hit, given that, since June, there has been a total of about 47 000 cases outstanding, of which 17 000 are back-dated more than nine months. The current Bill provides for the streamlining of sentencing, especially relating to serious crime, giving certain powers to regional courts to impose sentences such as life imprisonment.
The nature of crime in South Africa is characterised by high levels of murder, rape and aggravated robbery, and we trust that this Bill will successfully achieve its intended objectives. Being able to effect high levels of sentencing does not necessarily mean that crime is under control. First of all, the Bill elucidates certain provisions to guide the imposition of minimum sentencing.
The Bill limits mitigating factors of certain circumstances that may have a bearing on the nature of sentencing imposed by the court. The Bill correctly comes down hard on offenders convicted of rape and it is moving in the right direction to assess ways to control the occurrence of rape. The effective implementation of this Bill may lead to a reduction in the numbers of offenders on the street, but whether we will experience a reduction in crime is a matter equally important to consider if we wish to equate conviction rates with crime reduction. The FD supports this Bill, but wishes that further strategies relating to deterrents of crime, such as increased, visible policing and improvement in crime-detection mechanisms, be enhanced to complement the provisions contained in this Bill. I thank you.