Correctional Services Minister Sibusiso Ndebele, together with officials from the Department of Correctional Services, will on Wednesday (12 December) donate Christmas hampers to various impoverished communities in KwaZulu-Natal.
During the past financial year (2011/12), more than 13 million kilograms of vegetables and meat were produced by inmates at correctional centre farms and abattoirs. To help alleviate poverty, the Correctional Services Department donate these and other products to disadvantaged communities across the country from time to time.
Media are invited to cover the event. Details are as follows:
Date: Wednesday, 12 December 2012
Venue: Kwa Mashu Christian Care Society, 106354 Road, P-Section, Kwa Mashu, KwaZulu-Natal
Time: 11h30 for 12h00
Journalists attending must confirm attendance, by no later than Tuesday (11 December 2012), with Nokthula Zikhali on 083 995 8204.
From April 2011 to March 2012, inmates produced 6,347,395 litres of milk, 583,723kg of red meat, 1,740, 243kg of pork, 1,181,760kg of chicken, 1,547,534 dozen of eggs, 9,091,151kg of vegetables and 652,131kg of fruit.
Minister Ndebele says the hearts, heads and hands of offenders must be impacted. “As the Department of Correctional Services (DCS), we want to ensure that rehabilitation programmes impact the hearts, heads and hands of inmates. Key to rehabilitation is empowering offenders with skills to function effectively in society upon their release but, equally important, is to ensure that offenders are actively involved in productive activity while they serve their sentences.
DCS is making progress towards establishing a trading entity, which will impact positively on utilisation of offender labour. Through this trading entity, we can offer our customer base consisting of government , non-governmental organisations (NGO’s) and the private sector a wide variety of products and services, ranging from furniture, clothing, steel works, food products, agriculture and many others. In addition, DCS will continue to donate products to disadvantaged communities from time to time to help alleviate poverty,” said the Minister.
Enquiries:
Logan Maistry
Cell: 083 6444 050
