Hon Chairperson, hon members, ladies and gentlemen, as South Africans and as part of a progressive humankind, we have a moral and political responsibility to change the society in which we operate, in the interest of a better future for the human species, in particular the poor and vulnerable sections of our society.
Whilst these ordinary masses of our people make history and change society, they find themselves trapped in demeaning poverty and underdevelopment. However, because our democratic movement, the ANC, and the ANC-led government have always prioritised developmental issues concerning these poor and vulnerable masses, and because the ANC-led government remains a beacon of hope for the masses, during the processes of distribution and appropriation of material resources of our country the ANC is always mindful of this hope and faith that the ordinary masses of our people have in our democratic movement and the ANC-led government.
These distribution and appropriation processes are always informed by the Freedom Charter which, amongst other things, provides that South Africa belongs to all those who live in it, black and white, and provides that the people shall share in the country's wealth. Needless to mention, these processes are also informed and guided by our notion of equality, which takes into account the legacy of apartheid inequalities and also reflects race and gender contradictions.
The justice system in South Africa was inaccessible to the majority of the poor and vulnerable sections of our country. The ANC firmly believes that access to justice is essential to any legitimate justice system because it strengthens public respect for the law and gives people confidence in the legal system. It is this belief and the vision of the ANC to improve access to justice for all which has underpinned the appropriation and related processes.
In essence, the Appropriation Bill is a product of the processes which took into account various progressive, political and policy considerations that include bringing justice services closer to all people, particularly rural and township communities; alleviating the onerous burden of long-distance travel to access justice services, which involves redemarcation and rationalisation of our magistrates' courts and High Courts; the intensification of programmes which seek to help the most vulnerable in our society, namely women and children; and strengthening criminal justice system initiatives and efforts.
Let me emphasise that we need to welcome all the progressive aspects of the Appropriation Bill, in particular the funding, which will assist the justice sector in developing infrastructure and capacity so as to further improve access to justice for all. The ANC supports the Bill. I thank you.