R38m allocated towards establishing Investigative Directorate

Justice and Constitutional Development Minister Ronald Lamola

Justice and Constitutional Development Minister, Ronald Lamola said the directorate will work collaboratively with the Special Investigating Unit (SIU), the SIU Special Tribunal and the Directorate of Priority Crimes Investigations (DPCI) to ensure that perpetrators of acts of fraud and corruption are brought to book speedily.

“The regulations of the tribunal will be finalised shortly to enable this important institution to commence with the task of recovering moneys stolen through corruption and maladministration,” he said.

Shamila Batohi, national director of public prosecutions, said the R38m is for start-up purposes, and that over a three-year period, she expects over R200m to be allocated towards the running of the new unit.

“But this is for start-up costs at this stage. We have also made a bid to the Cara (Criminal Asset Recovery Account) fund for funds that we will require for the first year. The total amount is about R200m over three years. We have made a bid to the Cara fund and we are quite confident that we will be successful in that bid,” she said.

Modernising the courts system

In addition, A total of R1.3bn has been allocated to modernise the country's court system.

“As such, through the Integrated Justice System (IJS), the department is driving a multi-department effort to increase the probability of successful investigation, prosecution, punishment and rehabilitation of offenders.

“The Court Recording Technology (CRT) system has been rolled out to over 2,000 courts. A further 146 mobile recorders are used in periodical courts. The CRT enables efficient recording and storage of court proceedings. This system will also improve operational efficiencies in courts.”

Lamola said the modernisation efforts will also extend to the Master’s offices where work is underway on the Master’s Online project, which is scheduled to be implemented by 2020.

The project aims to streamline the Trust registration process and will assist in curbing fraud.

“The condition of our courts as service points to the public, are a top priority. A total of 25 courts will be part of the total facilities management solution implemented by the Department of Public Works.

“This will bring relief to users of our facilities as breakdowns in equipment often disrupt court sittings and contribute to delays in the finalisation of cases. The department is also implementing an in-source model, which allows sentenced inmates and participants in the Extended Public Works Programme to be utilised for minor maintenance work,” said the minister.