Sign language interpreters must be paid ‘timeously’
In their continued fight to bring justice to the vulnerable, a language academy has accused the Department of Justice of negligence by not paying outstanding settlements for the procurement of court interpreters.
According to a Cape Times report, the Eden Language Academy said the failure by the department to make timeous payments to sign language interpreters has led to the dismissal of criminal cases involving deaf individuals.
Director of the academy, Marie Smalberger, said the difficulties encountered by service providers in obtaining timely approvals for quotes was distressing.
‘The Department of Justice frequently neglects to settle payments with service providers. I know that I am not the only company grappling with outstanding invoices. I have invoices pending payment, some dating back to as early as April,’ said Smalberger.
She said a number of engagements with department role-players ‘have yielded limited results’.
Smalberger added: ‘All other languages’ interpreters gets paid through the Persal system except sign language. There is a noticeable scarcity of South African sign language interpreters in the courts, in contrast to the generally sufficient representation of other languages by interpreters.’
Article disclaimer: While we have made every effort to ensure the accuracy of this article, it is not intended to provide final legal advice as facts and situations will differ from case to case, and therefore specific legal advice should be sought with a lawyer.
