Lamola said that while more could be done, it was not true that the Department of Justice and Correctional Services was in decline.
The department held closed meetings on Wednesday to explore the subject after the South African Law Reform Commission released its report on adult prostitution in 2017.
Earlier on Sunday, the department said it has made significant strides in recovering from a cyber hack that caused delays at courts across the country in September.
The department has, however, assured the public that no data was compromised from its system following the cyberattack.
The department was hacked in a breach involving ransomware on Monday night.
South Africa is often a destination for LGBTI+ people fleeing discrimination in other African countries. This factsheet looks at laws affecting these communities across the continent.
Government and civil society groups have met to discuss the hate crimes.
The group's Gerrie Nel said that the Justice Department had not been forthcoming with the necessary documents.
The controversial Umlazi Magistrate gave a man who raped a six-year-old girl a suspended sentence, claiming the victim showed no signs of trauma.
Justice Minister Ronald Lamola is expected to appoint 105 new female magistrates from February next year.
The minister responded to questions in the National Council of Provinces on Tuesday, on whether there was any progress in securing a presidential pardon for students arrested during the protests.
Instead, the department said Masutha could have arrived at a different decision if he had the information that is now available.
Justice and Correctional Services Minister Ronald Lamola's comments came ahead of the bail hearing of a grade 11 pupil from Forest High School who was accused of murder.
Manuel Chang, 63, was arrested at Johannesburg airport in December at the request of US authorities over alleged involvement in fraudulent loans to Mozambique state firms worth $2 billion.
Justice Minister Michael Masutha says he personally consulted Maggie Friedman before reaching his decision, which was announced on Thursday.
Justice Minister Michael Masutha made the announcement in Pretoria on Tuesday and follows the adoption of the Legal Practice Act of 2014.
Justice Minister Michael Masutha says discussions around speeding up the finalisation of a mutual legal assistance and extradition bilateral agreement between the UAE and South Africa are underway.
The members of the party’s armed wing were hanged and immediately buried, denying their families the dignity of giving them decent burials.
