The Ministry of Correctional Services has noted the editorial published in The Star newspaper on 27 January 2011 (page 18) as well as the opinion piece penned by Mr Martin Williams in The Citizen newspaper (page13) on Wednesday, 26 January 2011.
While this administration will not be responding in the derogatory manner and style of debating societal issues as exemplified by Mr Williams of The Citizen, we however wish to correct the misinformation contained in the selective memory of both these newspapers in as far as the work of the Department of Correctional Services is concerned as well as the stated programme of action of this Ministry led by the Honourable Nosiviwe Mapisa-Nqakula Member of Parliament, Minister of Correctional Services.
It is this Ministry’s stated objective that through the Ministerial Legacy Project of renaming some correctional facilities in South Africa, we wish to galvanise public awareness and association with the work the Department of Correctional Services is doing.
Why? This is in mitigation of the programme of rehabilitation the department has placed at the center of its daily work.
To also ensure, that by building bridges with the community and South African society at large, we create the spaces in which those offenders that are indeed rehabilitated and wish to embark on life afresh are afforded the opportunity to do so.
Partnerships with the public are necessary to lend transparency and openness to what happens behind the walls of a correctional facility and hopefully create the understanding that it is possible that our integrated rehabilitation and education programs can serve as beneficial tools of diverting an individual away from a life of crime.
The work of the Department of Correctional Services, since the advent of the White Paper on Corrections, is human rights centered and recognises that this legislative tool makes all of this is possible.
As places of incarceration correctional centers are historically perceived as places of despair that do not espouse any positive outlook.
The White Paper on Corrections encourages us all to shift away from this mindset and aspire to transform these places of incarceration to centers of hope and second chances.
Similarly to Qalakabusha Correctional Center in KwaZulu-Natal, this name means a place to start over or new beginnings and is largely seen by the community where it is located as such.
The argument that names such as that of Pretoria Central Correctional Centre and Johannesburg Central Correctional Center for an example, are geographical and that honoring those who contributed, some with their lives, to the defeat of Apartheid is flawed as both names Pretoria and Johannesburg are in honor and adulation of persons who were part and parcel of the often brutal and repressive process of colonising the indigenous peoples of South Africa.
Johannesburg is named after two ‘commissioners’ of this era, Johannes Rissik and Christaan Johannes Joubert.
Pretoria is also similarly so named after a hero of the brutal annihilation of the Kingdom of Tsoane, Andries Pretorius.
Lastly the issue of the cost of renaming has been dealt with comprehensively and openly.
The fact is the centers targeted for renaming are not located in districts of commercial trade nor are they businesses or names of streets in centers of trade whose impact would touch on thousands possibly millions of people but places of incarceration often in remote and isolated areas.
The issue of the cost of the signage that would have to be put up at these places of incarceration is also imbedded in the daily work of the department, as these will be manufactured by offenders in DCS workshops including their installation.
Generally the department being fully aware of the need to spend public funds wisely will endeavor to keep these as minimal as is possible.
The Department of Correctional Services is on track in tackling the most critical of challenges that confront it.
The management of overcrowding is receiving special attention through the setting up of the Remand Detention Branch.
Legislative amendments to ensure the efficacy of policy interventions is currently going through Parliament for public comment and participation in the Correctional Matters Amendment Bill, areas such as medical parole, the minimum detention period for Remand Detainees are just a few areas in the scope of our work receiving attention.
The training and retraining of Correctional Officers particularly Heads of Centers is ongoing to ensure the optimal use of available policy tools to minimise and manage overcrowding, adverse conditions of incarceration as well as give impetus to deepening efforts at rehabilitation.
Increasing educational and skills development awareness among offenders and pouring the necessary resources towards this was recently launched through Operation Funda.
We are also on track to tightening our internal processes of procurement and asset management toward the stated goal of qualification free audits.
There is much more that this administration is tasked with, with many exciting announcements to the public to be made soon.
Enquiries:
Sonwabo Mbananga
Tel: 012 305 8850
Cell: 082 045 3963
