Portfolio Committee on Justice and Correctional Services

Portfolio Committee on Justice and Correctional Services
Formation1994 (as Portfolio Committee on Justice)
PurposeOversight of the Department of Justice and Constitutional Development and Department of Correctional Services
Chairperson
Gratitude Magwanishe (ANC)
Parent organisation
National Assembly of South Africa

The Portfolio Committee on Justice and Correctional Services is a portfolio committee of the National Assembly of South Africa. It is responsible for oversight of the Department of Justice and Constitutional Development and the Department of Correctional Services. In addition, it oversees a long list of statutory entities related to justice and law enforcement: the Council for Debt Collectors, the Judicial Inspectorate for Correctional Services, Legal Aid South Africa, the National Prosecuting Authority, the Office of the Chief Justice, the Public Protector, the Rules Board for Courts of Law, the South African Board for Sheriffs, the South African Human Rights Commission, and the Special Investigating Unit.

The committee was established during the first post-apartheid Parliament as the Portfolio Committee on Justice, chaired for two terms by Johnny de Lange. It was later renamed as the Portfolio Committee on Justice and Constitutional Development after the Department of Justice was renamed accordingly. It took its current form after the 2014 general election, when it merged with the Portfolio Committee on Correctional Services; the merger was precipitated by the corresponding ministerial merger that created the Ministry of Justice and Correctional Services.

List of chairpersons

To date, all chairpersons of the Committee have been members of the African National Congress (ANC), the national governing party.

Since the 26th Parliament

Chairpersons of the Committee on Justice and Correctional Services
Session Chairperson Party Election date Citation
27th Parliament Gratitude Magwanishe ANC 2 July 2019
26th Parliament Refiloe Mothapo ANC 9 October 2018
Mathole Motshekga ANC 24 June 2014

Before the 26th Parliament

Chairpersons of the Committee on Justice
Session Chairperson Party Election date Citation
25th Parliament Luwellyn Landers ANC November 2010
Ngoako Ramatlhodi ANC 1 June 2009
24th Parliament Fatima Chohan-Kota ANC 11 May 2004
23rd Parliament Johnny de Lange ANC 16 August 1999
22nd Parliament Johnny de Lange ANC 1994
Chairpersons of the Committee on Correctional Services
Session Chairperson Party Election date Citation
25th Parliament Vincent Smith ANC 27 May 2009
24th Parliament Dennis Bloem ANC 25 June 2004
Lewele Modisenyane ANC 11 May 2004
23rd Parliament Ntsiki Mashimbye ANC 7 May 2002
22nd Parliament Limpho Hani ANC 1996
Carl Niehaus ANC 1994