Correctional Centre
21 September 2006
The Minister of Correctional Services, Ngconde Balfour, says the Boksburg
Correctional Centre is one in many pockets of service delivery excellence
within the Department which South Africans should know about.
Minister Balfour said this after inspecting the workshops and factories of
the centre furniture, food and other utilities to the value of R22 million per
year are produced as part of launching the first-ever Corrections Week at
Boksburg today, 21 September 2006. He said the Corrections Week is a campaign
meant to promote public understanding of the role of the Department in ensuring
public safety and also to mobilise the society to forge partnerships in the
rehabilitation and social reintegration of offenders.
Through these success stories and pockets of excellence, the Department is
committed to turning offenders into socially responsible and productive
citizens for their successful re-integration into society.
Nationally Correctional Services produces 11 million kilograms of
vegetables, 1,2 millions dozens of eggs, over 1,2 million loaves of bread and a
lot of furniture for essentially internal use.
Minister Balfour called on the business sector to partner with Correctional
Services in order to tap into a vast pool of skilled and rehabilitated
offenders on their release.
He said many offenders who entered correctional centres without even basic
education or skills, leave to lead a productive life in society, have gained
invaluable capacity to make it in the free world. Offenders are trained in
agricultural production, woodwork, welding, upholstery, textile and craft
production as well as in engineering, business and computer studies.
The Minister described the beneficiaries of these programmes as living
examples of the progressive work done in correctional centres.
The products produced by our inmates have ensured that the Department is
self-sufficient by supplying its various correctional centres and also
communities around our centres as part of our social responsibility
programmes.
The Boksburg Correctional Centre is one of the leading workshops/factories
in the country with a 13-year history of successful production and good returns
on investment.
These are crucial achievements that are realised, sometimes under odd
conditions including shortage of technical skills and droughts. Minister
Balfour called on all families, communities and civil society structures to
join the Department in taking corrections to new heights of service delivery
and make South Africa safer for all.
Production details:
The following are some of the achievements of Correctional Services in the
2005/06 financial year.
Agriculture produce:
* Production of 11,9 million kilograms of vegetables
* 542 000 kilograms of fruit
* 6,2 million litres of milk
* 1,9 million kilograms of pork
* 891 thousand kilograms of chicken
* 1,2 million dozens of eggs
Production workshops:
* 62 thousand timber units
* 1,2 million textile units
* 1,128 million loaves of bread
* 126 000 steel units
The success stories of the Boksberg Correctional Centre
Workshop
This workshop in the last financial year 2005/06 had a R22,044 million
return on an investment of R11,133 million and boasts of not experiencing
financial losses since its establishment in 1993 despite challenges of getting
artisans - six vacancies were included in the recent advertising for
recruitment purposes.
Within the first six months of the current financial year the workshop has
made R9,194 million return on an investment of R4,376 million, with a
projection of a R24 million return by the end of the financial year.
It produces high quality office furniture, offender equipment, palisade
fencing, security equipment, offender uniforms, bedding and other requested
textile items for Correctional Services (93%) and other Department's use.
Production details in the centre are as follows:
The bakery produces 600 000 loaves per year at a cost of R1,28 (saving 50% of
costs per loaf when supplied by an external provider, amounting to a saving of
R768 000 per year). Three hundred and fifty (350) inmates per day work in the
workshops.
The establishment of a chicken farm is underway with a target of 10 270
chickens and 244 000 dozens of eggs per year. Two hundred and (202) offenders
are trained in Business Studies and Engineering studies, 11 offenders are doing
final preparations for a trade test, 20 offenders have been training in
woodwork and use of hand and power tools.
Enquiries: Luphumzo Kebeni
Cell: 082 453 2244
Issued by: Department of Correctional Services
21 September 2006
Source: SAPA
