Question NW1973 to the Minister of Justice and Correctional Services
27 June 2022 - NW1973
Breytenbach, Adv G to ask the Minister of Justice and Correctional Services
What plans are in place to protect the valuable and irreplaceable (a) documents and (b) books from possible fire and/or water damage as the library at the Supreme Court of Appeal houses some of the oldest and most valuable books and historic documents of a legal nature and yet it is neither water nor fire proof?
Reply:
The Department of Justice and Constitutional Development (DoJ&CD) is not responsible for the library material that is housed at the Supreme Court of Appeal. The Office of the Chief Justice (OCJ) manages its library material and has deployed Librarians at its libraries – including at the Supreme Court of Appeal.
The DoJ&CD merely provides the electronic material through the so-called “Virtual Library”, which is a service procured by the DoJ&CD to serve the library needs of DoJ&CD officials, Magistrates and officials of the Office of the Chief Justice.
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