Constitutional Development, during the unveiling of statues of the current and
former Judges, President of the Transvaal Provincial Division, Palace of
Justice, Pretoria
23 February 2007
Masters of ceremony, Advocate Pat Ellis Steering Committee (SC) and Adv Seth
Nthai SC
Chief Justice, Pius Langa
Deputy Judge President of the Witwatersrand Local Division, Phineas
Mojapelo
Deputy Judge President Shongwe
Representative of the President of the Supreme Court of Appeal, E Cameron
All Judges President present
Chairperson of the General Council of the Bar, Advocate Jannie Eksteen,
SC
Chairperson of the Johannesburg Bar Council, Advocate GC Pretorius, SC
President of the Law Society of the Northern Provinces, MJ Hussain
Members of the Pretoria Bar
Ladies and gentlemen
Today's ceremony marks an important development in the history of the
Transvaal Provincial Division and I am very pleased to be part of this
historical occasion to honour two great judges that served this division with
distinction.
Justice C F Eloff was at the helm of the division during the difficult
period of transition, not only for South Africa as a country, but also the
South African judiciary. The urgent need to transform the judiciary to reflect
the demographics of our society was indeed a stark reminder of the inequalities
brought about by the apartheid policies of the past.
Justice Ngoepe as the new Head had a difficult, but important role of
uniting all the judges in this Division. Judging by the progress made at this
Division, Judge President Ngoepe has managed to steer the ship in the right
direction. However, as in other divisions throughout the country, much more
still remains to be done. There is still much to be done in terms of the gender
and racial profile of the Division. As members of the Judicial Service
Commission, Judges President is in a strategic position to make significant
contribution in the appointment of judges.
Ladies and gentlemen
We as South Africans are lucky to have great leaders in various sectors of
our society. Perhaps this is aptly captured by former Justice Chief Ismael
Mohamed who observed that: "The new Constitution has ushered momentous times
for all of us. It is a time for renewal and cohesion; a time for strong
leadership with a faith which is optimistic and a temper which is positive. It
is not a time for dissipation and fragmentation or a time for despair,
pessimism or retreat."
South Africa's smooth transition to democracy is lauded many
internationally. However, what is not commonly known to many is that the
transition was based on the outstanding leadership provided in the various
sectors of our society by people such as, the former President Nelson Mandela,
President Mbeki, Archbishop Tutu, Former Chief Justice Arthur Chaskalson, the
current Chief Justice Pius Langa, and Deputy Chief Justice Dikgang Moseneke.
There are many other trail-blazers such as Oliver Tambo, Montsioa, Duma Nokwe,
Bram Fischer, the late and former Chief Justice, Ismail Mohamed, Billy Nair
(founder member of the ANC and the United Democratic Front), Godfrey Pitje
(founder member of the African National Congress (ANC) Youth League and the
Black Lawyers Association), Richard Ramodipa (founder member of the Black
Lawyers Association), Mathethebala Machaka (founder member of the South African
Student Organisation (SASO), Joe Slovo, Griffiths Mxeke, Justice Bam and many
others.
Ladies and gentlemen
We have set firmly in place the building blocks for our democracy and
significant strides in the transformation of the legal sector, in particular
the judiciary, have been made over the years. As government we will do our best
to enable efficiency in the court system through modernisation. Working closely
with other departments represented in the Justice, Crime Prevention and
Security Cluster (JCPS) cluster of government, we are considering innovative
ways to ensure efficiency in the criminal justice system. This is intended to
ensure greater access for our people.
Once more, I want to thank Chief Justice Langa, Deputy Chief Justice
Moseneke, Justice Ngoepe, other Judge Presidents and all judges for the role
they played in helping us reach consensus on the two bills that are currently
before Parliament. One of these is the South African Judicial Education
Institute Bill. The establishment of the Judicial Education Institute will
contribute significantly in developing, maintaining and providing judicial
education and professional training for judicial officers. There is no doubt
that such training for aspirant judicial officers will enhance their
suitability for appointment to the judiciary.
More importantly, the training will promote the independence, impartiality,
dignity, accessibility, legitimacy and effectiveness of the courts. We will
also, in consultation with the judiciary, finalise the remaining package of
laws, more especially, the Bills on the complaints mechanism and
rationalisation of the courts.
Finally, I take this opportunity to thank the Pretoria Society of Advocates
for having planned this occasion.
Thank you.
Issued by: Department of Justice and Constitutional Development
23 February 2007
Source: Department of Justice and Constitutional Development (http://www.doj.gov.za)
