A mere R80 million or 0.4% of the Department of Justice and Constitutional Development’s budget of R18.9 billion are allocated to constitutional development," says Dr. Corné Mulder, chief whip of the FF Plus.
With today’s budget vote of the department, Dr. Mulder said it is therefore clear that constitutional development is not a priority with the department. Yet the department's task with regard to constitutional development is to promote the Constitution, to convey its values, and to protect independent institutions that support democracy to ensure their independence and effectiveness.
He said the department's silence was therefore quite notable when the ANC launched one attack after the other on the Public Protector (PP), as it is this department's task to protect such institutions.
"The minister (Michael Masutha) must also say whether it is his mandate that the NPA should be used to execute the government's mandate and whether the authority can act without prejudice or interference.
"The minister has gone out of his way today to try and convince us that he cannot interfere with the NPA. He said the NPA was independent and he could not get involved.
"He was loudly cheered by ANC cheerleader Charlotte Pilane Majake. The problem with this is that Majake said the opposite in this same chamber on 5 November last year, when the Justice Committee met with the NPA, and I recall: "Working for the NPA means that you are in government. It actually means you are rolling out the mandate of the ANC”.
"I want to know from the minister whether this is the point of view of his department. That the NPA's task is to execute the ANC's mandate, or is the premise that this institution should act without favour, without prejudice and without interference from the department or any other institution?” Dr. Mulder asked.
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