Correctional Services National Commissioner Mr Tom Moyane presented the Department’s five year strategic plan that provides bold and clear performance targets to the Portfolio Committee in Cape Town today, 22 March 2011.
Commissioner Moyane promised to make significant improvements in strengthening internal controls and improve rates of conviction of officials charged for fraud, corruption and serious maladministration from the already high level of 84% to 92% by 2015/16. He said to strengthen internal controls no major expenditure will be undertaken on any project without a proper business case to avoid historical pitfalls of hasty decisions to expend significant funds on poorly thought through projects.
For the bid adjudication process of the planned construction of Public Private Partnership correctional centres the Department has established an interdepartmental bid evaluation committee that comprises of National Treasury, Home Affairs, Public Works, International Relations and Cooperation and the Department of Correctional Services. Commissioner Moyane said the committee will ensure appropriate and unbiased determination of the best bid when it concludes its work by October 2011.
The Department has also committed to ensure that over 16 500 additional bed spaces are delivered within the next five years with 12000 coming from four PPP correctional centres and several smaller projects of revamping the existing old facilities planned to be finalised within five years.
The Department will also intensify benchmarking and building of good practice norms.
Other targets outlined by the National Commissioner include:
- Further reduce escapes by 25% from the already low escape rate of about 60 inmate from about 167 000 incarcerated people in South Africa which represents (0.036% escape rate currently);
- Reduce incidents of assaults within the correctional centres by a further 35% from the urrent base of 4100 cases;
- Reduce overcrowding to 28% and improve eligible offenders participation in corrections programmes from 53% to 93% from about 49000 to 71 000;
- Increase access to work opportunities for eligible 91 000 offenders from 41% to 50%; and
- Increase access to anti-retroviral therapy to deserving inmates with less than 350 CD4 count from the current rate of 92% to 96%.
The Department of Correctional Services has been allocated R16.599 billion for the next financial year starting on 01 April 2011, which is expected to increase to R18.8 billion by 2013/14 financial year.
For infrastructure develop over the medium term expenditure framework (MTEF), the Department will spend R7.8 billion for all its needs which include refurbishing and revamping the existing facilities that are not rehabilitation friendly to the allocations made to cover the repayments for the planned four PPP correctional centres.Commissioner Moyane said the Department remains focused on turning around a number of problematic areas including jacking up the department’s information technology systems and improving integration with the broader criminal justice system.
Enquiries:
Manelisi Wolela
Cell: 083 626 0304
