Cape Town - Justice Minister Jeff Radebe has rolled out a number of building projects meant to improve South Africans' access to justice.
The minister addressed journalists on Tuesday morning shortly before he tabled his Budget Vote in Parliament.
He said that there were nine ongoing projects involving the construction of new courts to meet increased demands for court and office accommodation.
The new Galeshewe Magistrates' Court has been opened, while two others in Colesburg and Lutzville would open soon, he said.
Radebe said that the expansion of the Supreme Court of Appeal in Bloemfontein had been completed, while the new Katlehong and Ntuzuma Magistrates' Courts, as well as the Polokwane High Court were under construction.
He said that six projects had been undertaken to expand offices based in Stanger, Thembalethu, Swellendam, Riversdale and Bredasdorp.
Projects in the planning phase include the new High Court in Mpumalanga, Magistrates' Courts in Mamelodi, Port Shepstone, Richards Bay and Tshilwavhusiku.
To ensure justice is accessible to all, Radebe said that "all magistrates' courts have now been designated as Equality Courts."
This, he said, had resulted in the increase in the number of cases enrolled at those courts from 447 in 2008/9 to 509 in 2009/10 period.
"We are putting more efforts to turnaround the Master's Office to improve services relating the winding up of deceased estates, the administration of insolvent estates and payments from the Guardian's Fund.
"The turnaround project will focus on working with clients in distress and the speedy finalisation of matters," said Radebe.
The minister said they would ensure an effective maintenance recovery and payment system was put in place to "reduce the dependence of children on social security as more and more parents will be compelled to support their children.
"We continue to appoint more maintenance investigators to trace and locate errant parents and hidden assets to provide for their children as part of improving the maintenance system," he said
