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11 June 2008

Correctional Services Minister Ngconde Balfour says the Department's budget will increase by 20% in three years mainly for infrastructure development. Minister Ngconde Balfour said this while delivering his budget vote speech to the National Council of Provinces (NCOP) in Cape Town.

Minister Balfour said the bulk of the budget increase from R11.6 billion in 2008/9 to R15.3 billion in 2010/11 financial year will be for covering the department's massive infrastructure development programme that is expected to provide over 21 000 additional bed spaces. Currently Correctional Services is experiencing about 40% overcrowding with some correctional centres accommodating up to three times the recommended capacity.

The Department's massive infrastructure development programme includes the construction of five new generation correctional centres through public-private-partnership deals, a new facility in Kimberley which is currently 58% complete as well as major upgrading of some existing facilities like Tzaneen in Limpopo, Van Rhynsdorp in Northern Cape and Brandvlei in Western Cape. The procurement process for getting private partners to construct, maintain and run five new generation facilities in East London, Nigel, Klerksdorp, Port Shepstone and Paarl is underway.

The upbeat Minister Balfour also informed the NCOP of the positive economic spin offs of the infrastructure development programme, citing 1235 jobs created in the economically challenged Kimberley district during the centre construction phase. He said these jobs have also benefited 91 women and 137 ex-offenders.

The new facilities are designed to provide integrated delivery of security, humanizing conditions that are critical for effective rehabilitation as well as safe custody for all offenders. Minister Balfour said although incidents of assault, violence and indecent assault in correctional centres were on the decline, from 1 822 in 2006 to 855 in 2007, a lot more needed to be done to further improve conditions in correctional centres.

He also highlighted major improvements made in optimising the use of security technology to ensure safe custody as required by law. The interventions of the Department include:

* The establishment of a new Field Vetting Unit (FVU) to ensure constant vetting and integrity testing of all officials deployed in critical and high risk points across the Department; and
* Strengthening of partnerships with the Safety and Security Sector Education and Training Authority (SASSETA), South African Police Service (SAPS) and Mangaung Correctional Centre for training and retraining of officials responsible for high risk offenders, whose numbers are increasing at worrying rates.

Minister Balfour said all these initiatives are aimed at ensuring a safer and a more secure South Africa where all including women and children would feel safer in their daily activities.

Enquiries:
Manelisi Wolela
Cell: 083 626 0304

Issued by: Department of Correctional Services
11 June 2008