Cape Town- Government has vowed to prosecute at least 100 people by 2014 that have accumulated assets of at least R5 million through illicit means.
Justice Minister and chairman of the Justice, Crime Prevention and Security cluster, Jeff Radebe, said that to date 19 of the 100 persons were already facing various corruption and related charges in court.
"We have in addition, restrained assets worth more than half-a-billion rand. To any doubting Thomas, the message could not be clearer," he said.
"The seizure of assets estimated at R250 million in this financial year confirms that we remain resolute to fight the scourge of corruption," he added.
Radebe said, government had during the current financial year, issued 16 proclamations authorising investigations relating to corruption in procurement and contracts with an estimated value of R15 billion.
Out of that figure, R10 billion was in the form of procurement investigation "that is currently being undertaken," he said.
On the issue of caring for victims of crime, Radebe said that in order to better improve care and support to victims of crime, government had upped by five the number of Thuthuzela Care Centres from 17 to 22 in the current financial year.
The police were also beefing up the number of victim-friendly rooms across all police stations nation-wide.
He said that at the end of the second quarter of 2010, there had been 866 victim-friendly facilities already in place country-wide.
By December last year, Radebe said that 978 offender names had been entered in the Sexual Offences Register.
"The register will serve as a useful tool that will guard against exposing convicted sexual offenders to children and people with mental disabilities."
