Crime is a constant and increasing blot on the landscape of the relatively new South African democracy. It affects all sectors of society and does not discriminate on grounds of race, gender, religion, political affiliation or economic status. Anyone who lives in South Africa has a fairly reasonable chance of having to interact, at some time, with the Criminal Justice System, either as a victim or witness, or maybe even as an accused person.

South Africa has a relatively well developed and modern criminal justice system which draws its roots from a blend of Roman Dutch and English law and has, over the years, drawn and borrowed from a variety of respected international legal systems. The Constitution (Act No 108 of 1996), the foundation upon which our criminal justice system rests, was designed to provide a system of human rights either not previously available to all citizens or not entrenched in law.

It sets the core values upon which the system is based and guides our courts in interpreting and implementing laws. The Constitution has been criticised for being unfairly biased and protecting the offender at the cost of the victim. Whilst accused persons certainly do enjoy specific rights, the Constitution seeks to protect all persons within the Republic. An integral part of the Constitution is the Bill of Rights which seeks to protect the individual against the abuse of power held by the State.