Sun, November 22, 2009
JOHANNESBURG, Nov. 22 (Xinhua) -- South Africa plans to create special courts dedicated to handling crimes committed during the World Cup, aiming to speed up the judicial process, especially for cases involving foreigners, the Tribune newspaper reported on Sunday.
The South African government hopes the promise of swift justice will help stamp out crime during the event and ease worries of fans visiting one of the world's most violent countries.
"The courts are here to speed the process. There is not going to be any leniency," said Justice Department spokesman Tlali Tlali.
"We're going to deal with all cases that have to do with the tournament," he said.
An average of 50 people die violently every day in South Africa, while 250, 000 homes are burgled every year.
The Justice Ministry is concerned that the influx of 450, 000 tourists will bring with it a surge in crime.
"The experience from previous host countries has shown that the influx of foreign nationals in World Cups also potentially increases criminal activities," the Justice Ministry said.
"Therefore, special measures do need to be put in place in order to process any criminal matters that may arise from big events such as the World Cup."
If any foreigners are involved in crimes - either as victims or perpetrators - their cases will receive priority at the special courts.
"The scheme obviously hopes to see justice done to foreigners who are the victims of crime, while the foreigners are available in South Africa to give evidence," said lawyer Peter Jordi, a professor at the University of the Witwaters-rand.
"This will also act as a disincentive to commit crimes against foreigners," he added.
