Thank you, Mr Speaker. As you have correctly pointed out, hon member, it is not only presiding officers who are traumatised by these cases. In the first instance it is the victims themselves, their families, and their next of kin, but it is also the prosecutors, interpreters, and all those people who are involved in the court process. So, it is not an exceptional issue which affects only the presiding officers.
I have had discussions with the Chief Justice and the heads of court to ensure that everybody is conscious that these dedicated courts are necessary. This is because during the pilot phase it was reflected in research that when there were these dedicated courts the conviction rate went up, but when we stopped them the conviction rate went down.
It doesn't mean that the conviction rate is not increasing in South Africa. I have some statistics here which indicate that during the past financial year the Sexual Offences Unit secured over 363 life sentences, with a conviction rate of 73%.
I am assured that with this revised model everybody will be on board to ensure that the scourge of sexual assaults against women and children is dealt with very firmly and with harsh sentences. Thank you.