BuaNews (Tshwane)
21 August 2008
Pretoria — In the spirit of Women's Month, the Department of Justice and Constitutional Development, in partnership with the South African Women Lawyer's Association (SAWLA) have made free legal advice available to the public.
The national Access to Justice Week was launched by Justice Minister Brigitte Mabandla in the Khayelitsha Magistrate's Court in Cape Town this week.
Throughout the week, women lawyers have been stationed in public areas across the country giving free legal advice to the public on maintenance, wills, domestic violence, divorce, rights in marriage, custody, the Small Claims Courts, guardianship and fostering.
The week also seeks to enhance the lives of the poor, previously marginalised and rural women.
One of the events planned around this initiative is taking place at the Sammy Marks Square in Pretoria in the form of an exhibition where the public will be able to access legal services from the Legal Aid Board and SAWLA.
Also in the capital city, departmental officials and female lawyers will be stationed in the Sanlam Building giving advice and information to the public.
The department's cooperation with the legal profession is in line with its aim to provide Access to Justice For All, through decreasing the challenges brought by the cost of litigation, undue delays and excessive formalities within the legal process.
SAWLA was established in May 2006 by the department as a networking forum for women in legal careers and aims to promote access to justice, advocacy for advancement of women, professional and leadership development and make a contribution to national and international dialogue.
The services provided by SAWLA include the drafting of wills, maintenance, administration of estates, child custody and rights in marriage - including customary marriage, foster parenting and guardianship, domestic violence, and the National Credit Act.
SAWLA is committed to eradicating gender discrimination and other forms of inequality or abuse in the legal sector and other areas of life; and to play an effective role in the transformation of the legal profession, judiciary and the justice system to promote the legitimacy of the justice system.
Ensuring more people have access to justice is one of the objectives in the transformation of the Criminal Justice System.
Several interventions have been identified and adopted by Cabinet to transform the country's Criminal Justice System (CJS) into one where crimes are fully investigated, courts are efficient and prisons support the rehabilitation of offenders.
A seven-point plan has been developed as a result of an in-depth investigation by the four core departments, namely the South African Police Services, the Department of Justice and Constitutional Development, the Department of Correctional Services and the National Prosecuting Authority.
The overall objectives of the review was to improve the legitimacy and public confidence in the CJS, remove weaknesses and blockages in the CJS through short, medium and long term interventions, sustain efficiency and effectiveness though improved co-ordination and management of the system as a whole and more community involvement.
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