The Minister announced on Tuesday, during the budget debate in the National Assembly, that the branch courts of Atteridgeville, Mamelodi, Northam and Ntuzuma would be proclaimed full-service courts with effect from 1 August 2011. The legal implication of such proclamation is that these courts become self-standing and provide all services, including civil and family law services, to local communities. In terms of the law, branch courts provide only limited services relating to criminal trials.