Chairperson, hon Minister, Deputy Minister and hon members, the budget before us represents the means by which government seeks to resolve the vital issue of justice and constitutional development. Therefore, as a tool that needs to give life to policy, it must be judged against the important policy questions facing the country in terms of the justice system.
It is well known that the judiciary has been under repeated attack for a number of years now. Individual judges and the institution as a whole, including the Constitutional Court, have been bad-mouthed and attacked in the most unbecoming manner.
Another fact that we cannot ignore is that the ability of the justice system to dispute justice is being questioned by many South Africans, because the rate of successful prosecutions is shockingly low. Indeed there is a strong argument to be made that the courts represent a bottleneck in the administration of justice, because the backlogs that cause an untenable high number of awaiting-trial prisoners have resulted in overcrowding in prisons. It is therefore undeniable that this government needs to spend a significant amount in making the country's legal system work. It is therefore disturbing and troubling that the department's budget has been decreased in real terms.
It is within this context that we are perturbed about the latest developments at the National Prosecuting Authority, NPA. The comments and behaviour of the National Director of Public Prosecutions are deeply disturbing and seem to indicate a heavy-handed and anti-democratic intent to dismantle vital components of the NPA and remove some of its leading members under the guise of so-called "reforms".
We are particularly concerned that in many cases government, represented by the hon Minister, appears to be as surprised as the rest of us by these developments. The Portfolio Committee on Justice and Constitutional Development did not have sufficient time to consider these proposed institutional changes and how they may impact upon the budget.
There should be no uncertainty that the constitutional obligation of the NPA is to prosecute without fear or favour. Any erosion of this prerogative is a direct attack on our democratic dispensation. The amount of R2,4 billion is allocated in this budget to the NPA, but we are not entirely clear what this funding is intended for. Thank you.