By Kouthar Sambo

Deputy President Paul Mashatile is highly concerned about how public confidence in the criminal justice system has declined in the country.

This comes after the three-day national conference of the Integrated Criminal Justice System and the Review of the Criminal Procedure Act kicked off on Wednesday in Boksburg.

Speaking on VOC’s Drive Time show on Wednesday, Legal Expert and Senior Law Lecturer at the Department of Procedural Law at the University of Pretoria (UP) Dr Llewelyn Curlewis, said the Criminal Procedure Act might not be the ultimate
answer.

“We need to revisit the sections of the Criminal Procedure Act that are contentious, that need to be revised, perhaps from a technological point of view, updated, upgraded, and compliant with the Constitution,” explained Curlewis.

According to Curlewis, the Constitutional Court scrutinised various sections of the Criminal Procedure Act on a monthly basis.

“Whenever there was a need to change it in accordance with the Constitution and the principles set out there, that has been done by the yearly amendments to the Criminal Procedure Act,” said Curlewis.

He further added that replacing the Act would be costly and time-consuming as there are 350 odd sections in the Act so it is not something that can be done overnight.

“Various stakeholders must comply and buy into it, such as the prosecuting authority, the judiciary, legal practitioners, members of the public, the Department of Correctional Services, so it is a big operation in totality,” detailed Curlewis.

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