21 December 2006
The Ministry of Justice and Constitutional Development would like to respond
to the incorrect and misleading statement issued by the Democratic Alliance
(DA) on Tuesday, 19 December 2006, regarding responses to parliamentary
questions by the Government Departments.
1. Firstly, the Ministry and the Department of Justice and Constitutional
Development respect Parliament and therefore always seek to comply with all its
rules and regulations.
2. Secondly, there is absolutely no truth in the statement by the DA that
the department has failed to respond to parliamentary questions, some allegedly
dating back to February 2006. The fact is that, as of Friday, 15 December 2006,
the department had no outstanding responses to parliamentary questions, oral or
written. This the DA could have easily confirmed with Parliament by Friday, 15
December 2006.
3. Thirdly, the response to the question whether "the Minister of Justice
and Constitutional Development can indicate if any presidential pardons have
been granted in last two years and if persons released as a result have
subsequently re-offended," was submitted to Parliament before the closing
deadline of Friday, 15 December 2006.
Enquiries:
Mr Zolile Nqayi
Spokesperson: Ministry of Justice and Constitutional Development
Tel: (021) 467 1714
Fax: (012) 467 1732
Cell: 082 898 6483
E-mail: znqayi@justice.gov.za
Issued by: Justice and Constitutional Development
21 December 2006
