Deputy Minister Makwetla yesterday 3 November 2014, inspired Modderbee Offenders in Springs to cherish their self-worth and turn their back on crime. The Deputy Minister of Correctional Services, Mr Thabang Makwetla, urged hundreds of offenders at Modderbee Correctional Centre to cherish their self-worth and reject criminal behaviour. Deputy Minister Makwetla concluded a one day visit to Modderbee Correctional Centre by addressing over four hundred offenders.
Deviating from a prepared programme Deputy Minister Makwetla spent some time listening to a series of complaints and requests for a special remission (ingqawule). Mr Makwetla reminded offenders that "crime is a despicable act which should not be entertained". He said crime is a betrayal of what many people died for in the struggle for freedom and a better life for all people in South Africa. He said with high crime rates and the deliberating fear of crime people of South Africa cannot enjoy the freedom and the development many sacrificed for. "Offenders have the power to make South Africa a truly free country by ending crime.
Unless you say that you don’t care about the innocent blood that was shed and the loss of life in the fight for freedom, then it means such offenders don’t want to be part of this beautiful country by contributing to a just, peaceful and safer south Africa for all”, said Deputy Minister Makwetla.
Everybody makes mistakes, however that doesn’t mean offenders are only good in committing crime. Offenders must use their talents to better our country and their communities for a better future for all including future generations."
Modderbee Management Area is composed of three correctional centres which are Modderbee in Springs, Devon and Nigel Correctional Centres, which house over 4 760 offenders and remand detainees with an overall 42% overcrowding rate. Modderbee Correctional Centre has a series of outreach programmes which include poverty alleviation as well as offender labour that is used to build and renovate community infrastructure such as community houses, schools and public places as a way of giving back to communities. Deputy Minister Makwetla appreciated various skills development projects at the centre which include woodwork, brick laying and upholstery.
Offenders gain critical skills which they can use when released back into communities. He, however, decried the limited access of offenders to the life changing exposure and technical skills while preparing for their re-integration back to communities.
The Deputy Minister also urged correctional officers to be visible agents in the moral and social reconstruction of South Africa. He further highlighted that the clients of Correctional Services were not only inmates, but the society that produces criminals and suffers from offending behaviour. He said managers and officials should "be at the forefront of the battle that discourages criminal behaviour, especially in the preventative campaigns targeted at young people”.
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