Balfour, MP, at a donation of computers to the Rustenburg Correctional
Centre
29 June 2006
Honourable Premier, Edna Molewa,
Members of the Provincial Executive Council,
Senior government officials,
Senior management of DCS,
Representatives of the Provincial Youth Commission,
Traditional leaders,
Civic leaders,
Distinguished guests,
Ladies and gentlemen;
Our presence here today signifies a memorable reflection of the struggle
waged by the 16 June youth generation that became a catalyst in the history of
many struggles fought by generations of leaders of our liberation movements in
the fight for a free and democratic South Africa.
As we commemorate the 30th anniversary of the Soweto Uprisings during this
month, let us also not lose sight of the very same importance of the linkage
between the objectives of the 16 June youth revolution and those of the
countryâs democratic constitution whose 10th anniversary we are also
celebrating. It is for this reason that we need to reflect on the successes,
milestones and challenges in advancing the interests of the youth of today so
that they contribute to the strengthening of our democracy and the development
of the country in general.
Challenges that face the youth of today are somehow different to those of
the 16 June generation who were victims of racial, class and gender
discrimination and inequalities.
Whilst our democracy has brought about a number of opportunities for the
youth they however are confronted with a number of challenges with regard to
their participation in the mainstream of the South African societyâs
activities, particularly with regard to access to opportunities offered in the
education, health and economic sectors.
The rate of illiteracy and HIV/AIDS infection amongst the youth is alarming
whilst the rapid increase of youth involved in criminal activities is also a
cause for concern. Similarly the huge number of incarcerated youth in our
correctional centres cannot be overemphasised though attempts are being made to
reduce them through alternative sentencing for certain categories of crimes and
other diversion programmes.
Our youth can no longer become mere spectators in the development of the
country, particularly with regard to participation in the mainstream of our
economy. We need to accelerate the turn around strategy of the national youth
development programme so that we reduce the army of unemployed youth and
establish diversion programmes for them.
As we celebrate the contribution of the 16 June generation to our freedom
and democracy, we cannot overlook the profound gains we have made in advancing
youth interests and the gains brought about by our democracy. The increasing
access to social wages for the poor, increased access of the poor to primary
education, water and sanitation and the opportunities that have been availed
through Black Economic Empowerment (BEE) and Accelerated and Shared Growth
Initiative for South Africa (AsgiSA) initiatives, are some of the critical
gains and successes we need to highlight.
The challenge, however, remains as to how to enable the youth to claim a
share in this economy how to create an environment that enables the youth of
today to take advantage of the programmes meant to improve their
conditions?
Honourable Mayor, our presence here today to receive the computers that you
are donating is testimony to and indicative of our commitment to youth
development. Whilst many of the opportunities we have alluded to can only be
accessed by youth outside of correctional centres, who are not in conflict with
the law, there are however many opportunities for the youth and juveniles in
our centres.
This coâoperation and partnership between the North West Provincial
Government and the Department of Correctional Services to ensure the
development of Information Technology (IT) skills for juveniles in this centre
is a ground breaking initiative that further advances the objectives of the
Sustainable Youth Development Strategy (SYDS).
At this juncture let me therefore reflect on the strides made by my
Department to also ensure that the interests of the youth, particularly the
juveniles in correctional centres are taken care of as part of our youth
development initiatives.
The development and implementation of a compulsory rehabilitation programmes
for juveniles has seen a number of successes in our centres in the field of
education. A clear example is the success and fruitful results that are yielded
by our educational programmes at the Durban Westville Youth School, which is
our flagship school in terms of our centres of excellence. There we have had a
100 percent pass rate of our juveniles in various grades for two consecutive
years since 2004 and we are producing inmates who have realistic and realisable
ambitions of becoming professionals in various disciplines, as soon as they
have been released.
Based on the successes of Durban Westville Youth School, the Department is
in the process of registering all its current youth centres as full time
schools so as to ensure that centres of excellence become centres of education,
knowledge and information. This will create enabling environment for offenders
to begin a new life.
A number of our youth and juveniles at the centre are currently undergoing
tertiary studies to further advance their education with a view to contributing
to the development of their communities upon release. Our centres of excellence
where practical rehabilitation programmes take place are geared towards
producing a new generation of youth and juveniles that must define the nature
and character of the youth of today.
Through our rehabilitation programmes targeting juveniles and the youth, our
ambition is to produce rehabilitated graduates and professionals in various
skills, which they can plough back to their communities and develop both the
second and first economy.
As an indication of our commitment to youth development in correctional
centres, the Department is in the process of introducing the national
curriculum statement for grade 10 in the centres of excellence to further
enhance our commitment to ensuring that education forms one of the key tenets
of rehabilitation. Plans to ensure that all juveniles of school going age
attend educational programmes as required by the Correctional Services Act, Act
111 of 1998 and the South African Schools Act, Act 84 of 1996 are also underway
as a testimony to this commitment.
This is also what we would like to see being extended to and emulated by
juveniles and youth in the various centres of correctional services.
With this donation of computers, this centre is also on course to being one
of the key centres that is geared towards the development of juveniles and
youth.
On the issue of the HIV/AIDS pandemic in correctional centres, my Department
shall continue to prioritise the treatment of HIV/AIDS particularly amongst the
youth and juveniles in its programmes. It is for this reason that a
comprehensive HIV/AIDS treatment programme that conforms to the national policy
guidelines on HIV/AIDS are proceeding in three of our Anti-retroviral (ARV)
accredited correctional centres namely Grootvlei in the Free State, Qalakabusha
in Pietermaritzburg and Empangeni in KwaZulu-Natal. The programme is jointly
implemented with the Department of Health as a sole service provider of such
treatment.
A further accreditation of three correctional centres as ARV sites is also
in the pipeline. This programme is complemented by a national communication
drive to educate inmates about this disease and a comprehensive national
HIV/AIDS prevalence survey to establish the extent of this scourge in our
correctional centres so that we can introduce a holistic treatment informed by
clear figures and statistics as we want to avoid a reactive and spontaneous
response to this disease.
Honourable Premier, the donation of the computers to the Rustenburg centre
comes in the wake of a similar donation by the Shuttleworth Foundation to the
Pollsmoor Juvenile Centre to introduce IT and computer skills pilot project to
juveniles.
On 24 May 2006, I launched the first phase of this IT skills revolution
pilot project for offenders at Pollsmoor and this is the second project of this
kind during this year alone.
I am confident that other centres throughout the country will soon follow
Rustenburg and Pollsmoor as we gradually introduce this project, which is
expected to culminate in drastic digital and IT skills revolution for juvenile
offenders. We are therefore saying to offenders âthis is the opportunity of a
life time to grab with both hands so that you make a difference to your own
life and future as well as society when you are released.â
As I conclude, honourable Premier, what we have witnessed today is an
attempt to further advance and carry forward the spirit of our communication
and outreach programme, Operation Masibambisane (Letâs Join Hands and Work
Together) which aims to target provincial and local governments traditional and
civic structures as well as rural and urban communities to actively participate
in the rehabilitation and social reâintegration of offenders.
Today, we have indeed witnessed Operation Masibambisane in its true meaning.
We are humbled by your donation and are confident that the juveniles and youth
inmates will not disappoint us but will grab this opportunity to prepare
themselves for a better future after their release. I am also throwing down the
gauntlet to the youth formations and particularly the provincial youth
commission to initiate jointly with ourselves constructive youth development
programmes for youth and juveniles in our correctional centres. The development
and rehabilitation of youth in correctional centres is a responsibility for all
of us and let us continue to join hands in fulfilling this responsibility.
I thank you!
Issued by: Ministry of Correctional Services
29 June 2006
Source: Department of Correctional Services (http://www.dcs.gov.za/)
