Justice and Constitutional Development Minister Mmamoloko Kubayi says her department provides interpretation services in fulfilment of its constitutional obligation, which guarantees every accused person the right to be tried in a language that they understand or to have proceedings interpreted.
Justice and Constitutional Development Minister Mmamoloko Kubayi has defended R76.4 million spent on foreign language interpreting services in criminal proceedings in courts throughout the country over the past year.
Responding to parliamentary questions from Party MP Thalente Kubheka, Kubayi said her department provides interpretation services in fulfilment of its constitutional obligation, which guarantees every accused person the right to be tried in a language that they understand or to have proceedings interpreted.
“In managing expenditure, the department monitors demand for interpretation services, interpreter availability, and expenditure trends across courts to ensure efficient utilisation of resources. External interpreters are engaged only where internal capacity is not available, to ensure continued constitutional compliance,” she said.
The breakdown of the R76.4m in expenditure showed that Gauteng led the pack with R20.9m in expenses, followed by KwaZulu-Natal with R15m, and the North West with R7.2m.
