Treatment Action Campaign head Zackie Achmat has labelled ANC secretary-general Gwede Mantashe's slamming of Constitutional Court judges as "counter-revolutionary" and implied that Mantashe's accusations detracted from the fight for justice and constitutional rights.

Achmat, together with advocate Vusi Pikoli and UCT professor and forensic scientist Professor Lorna Martin, addressed a safety and security seminar in Salt River last night.

The debate was the last in a series hosted by the Social Justice Coalition in honour of the late Irene Grootboom, who died earlier this year after waging a protracted battle for her right to a house.

"As much as I respect Comrade Mantashe, I feel that his attacks on the Constitutional Court are counter-revolutionary," Achmat said, adding that Constitutional Court Judge Dikgang Moseneke had taught ANC President Jacob Zuma to read and write while they were both imprisoned at Robben Island.

Earlier this year Mantashe attacked Consitutional Court judges, saying their bombshell complaints against Cape High Court Judge President John Hlope was an orchestrated conspiracy to undermine Zuma.

"The Constitutional Court had ruled in favour of victims in at least two serious rape cases and is a tool in enforcing our constitutional rights," Achmat said.

In his presentation Pikoli said the National Prosecuting Authority and the Scorpions, whose future is still uncertain, were pivotal in ensuring that justice was carried out without fear, favour, or prejudice.

"When we have greed and corruption as rampant as it is, prosecutors must be of high integrity and our honour must be beyond reproach so that they can prosecute even our own people." Among a swell of chuckles from the audience, he added: "When crime is as rampant as it is, criminals end up running the country."

Martin said research had shown that South African criminals perpetrated "bonus crimes", citing as an example that when a thief who intended to burgle a house found a woman in the house, she would more than likely be raped by him because of low conviction rates.

Only 54 percent of rape cases go to trial, she said.

Other research the forensic scientist was involved in revealed that a woman was killed every six hours by someone she loved; 12 out of every 1 000 rapes ended in murder; 40 percent of parents used children as shields against an abusive partner; and 46 percent of men abused their children.

Statistics also showed that the Western Cape had more people die of unnatural causes (12 000) in 2002, than of HIV and Aids, she said.