Parliament’s Portfolio Committee on Correctional Services has welcomed the department’s dismissal of a correctional officer who had filmed himself having sexual relations with a reservist police officer.
This comes after the officer, who had been suspended pending a disciplinary hearing was dismissed by the department on Tuesday. 'We are happy with the decision to dismiss the officer, and we commend the speedily way in which the case was handled', said Chairperson of the Committee, Mr Vincent Smith.
The Committee has urged the department to use the same energy and resources when dealing with other disciplinary cases before the department. The Committee also raised questions the fact that offenders sentenced to life before a certain date must be considered for parole after serving as little as 13 years behind bars.
'“This seems to fly in the face of the President’s call for South Africans to feel safe and be safe, if this judgement is juxtaposed against the minimum sentence policy it means an offender arrested for murder can get out before an offender arrested for a lesser crime,' said Mr Smith.
During the meeting, the Minister briefed the Committee that the department was currently renting a building for R2 million a month, and that they were in the process of finding or building a new department head office.
The Committee has welcomed this stating that the current arrangement of a month on month lease agreement at the cost of R2 million a month for a building that had its own structural weakness was unacceptable.
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Parliament’s Portfolio Committee on Correctional Services commends dismissal of a Correctional Officer
