NGCOBO J The case in question has been remanded until 21 OCTOBER 2008 for the relevant authorities to reply in writing to the court or to give oral evidence before this court i.t.o. section 342A of [the Criminal Procedure Act].”143 [193] The factual material submitted by the DPP and the amici reveals the following further disturbing facts. Availability of sexual offences courts [194] The DPP in Pretoria indicated that in February 2003, 29 specialist sexual offences courts were functioning. By February 2007 the statistics indicated that there were about 75 of these courts, but only 52 were still sitting and dealing only with sexual offence cases. This correlates with the findings of Reyneke and Kruger that 54 courts were operating in 2005.144 This finding indicates that there has been a decline in the number of functioning sexual offences courts since 2005. The DPP has also deployed 68 court preparation officers to help prepare child witnesses for the procedures and rigours of testifying in court. While 71 more officers are to be appointed on a needs analysis, there is no indication of whether this supply is meeting the demand of the criminal justice system. Facilities for the use of intermediaries [195] The DPP in Pretoria also provided us with the results of several surveys undertaken to comply with the High Court’s investigation into the constitutionality of 143 Seboko above n 139. 144 Reyneke & Kruger “Sexual Offences Courts: Better justice for children?” (2006) 31(2) Journal for Juridical Services 73. 97