Deputy Chairperson, hon Deputy Ministers and Minister of Correctional Services, I will start with the issue of perception related to consultants. Is what we are hearing true - because we want this House to be clear - that consultants have now taken over from the staff in delivering services in Correctional Services? Is it true that an amount of about R200 million, over the past two years, has been used to pay consultants? If so, why?
We also heard that the people who are consultants are former employees of Correctional Services. What is the problem; why is this thing not cleared up? I should have heard the Minister when he was standing here saying what we have seen or read in the newspaper is incorrect and here is the correct version. That would have put government in the right perspective and we would not have to believe in newspapers. It can be believed that this thing is true; this year there is no way the budget for consultants was made available. It shows what we have read is true. The issue of Kutama and Mangaung prisons is that they are run by former employees of the Department of Correctional Services. They were in service when they went through the back door to get a job again to maximise their wealth.
With regard to the backlogs occurring in the Ministry of Justice and Constitutional Development, why can't new methods of administration be utilised to curb them? Also, what happened to the preparatory examination we used to have in order to do away with the backlog? We used to have a preparatory examination whereby everything was put in place procedurally. If we do this, we are definitely going to see changes.
I want to align myself with the view expressed by hon Nesi regarding the issue of jurisdiction: For 15 years a person has still had to take a prisoner from Mabopane to Mafikeng; let us rectify this. We love to debate this thing while we are supporting the budget. We know that it should take place in a correct manner.
The issue of language in courts - oh no! What one can say - it's just a story. Ek sal so s. [I will put it this way.]
Because if you get a black person who is TshiVenda-speaking and the magistrate is also Venda, why do they still interpret into English because we have judges like Judge Moseneke who understands IsiZulu and SeSotho? You know such things ... Oh, yes, thanks. [Time expired.][Applause.]