‘Justice for all’ – Radebe

IN her welcoming note, University of Zululand (Unizulu) Rector and Vice-Chancellor Prof Fikile Mazibuko praised Jeff Radebe for the sterling work he has done for South Africa.

Speaking at the Jeff Radebe public lecture held at Bhekuzulu Hall on Tuesday, Mazibuko said,

‘Today the honourable Radebe returns to the university where he was ‘groomed’ as a Minister of Justice and Constitutional Development.

‘I therefore welcome you back as an alma Mata to our transformed Unizulu.’

During his speech, Radebe emphasised the importance of making sure everybody has access to justice as enshrined in the country’s constitution.

‘I’m happy to be at this institution because it was here, back in the 1970s, when I first cut my teeth into higher education.

‘Justice and democracy are like two sides of the same coin.

‘Our historic struggle for democracy was essentially a struggle to ensure justice because if there is no democracy in any society, injustice prevails.

‘When we emphasise ‘access to justice’ as our theme, we suggest we must make democracy work for all our people,’ Radebe said.

Achievements made by the government since 1994

The minister also highlighted the numerous inroads made by the democratic government since 1994.

‘In 1994 there were only 5.5 million households with electricity; by 2012 over 10 million houses were electrified.

‘Before 1994, less than 5 million people had access to tap water, but today about 20 million have access to water infrastructure, with the impoverished group getting 6000 litres of free water every month.

‘In 1994, there were only 150 000 students studying at universities, but today there are over 750 000 students studying at the different universities across the country.

‘In 1994, Tertiary Education Fund of South Africa (Tefsa), as it was then known only provided R120 million to needy students, and in this financial year R8 billion has been allocated to National Student Financial Aid Scheme (NSFAS),’ he said.