THE Department of Justice and Constitutional Development is working on a bill to combat hate crimes and racial discrimination.
This was the message from deputy director of victim support and specialised court services, Siphiwe Ntombela, to an international conference in Cape Town on Tuesday.
The conference, organised by Heinrich Böll Stiftung Foundation and the Commission for Gender Equality, brought together gay, lesbian, transgender and bisexual activists from across the continent.
Ntombela said that the "statute could specify that an accused found guilty of a hate or bias crime should receive a specific sentence".
Plans were also afoot to train investigating officers, prosecutors, judges and magistrates on the effects of hate crimes on the victims, she said.