R12 million needed to refurbish Westville prison kitchen amid infrastructure concerns
Image: Independent Newspapers Archives
The closure of the kitchen at Westville Correctional Service Medium A in February due to non-compliance has put the spotlight on the crumbling state of prison infrastructure in KwaZulu-Natal.
During a presentation to the Portfolio Committee on Correctional Services this week, the Department of Correctional Services (DCS) revealed that it needs R12 million to refurbish the Westville kitchen, which includes replacing equipment, repairing the floor surface, tiling, and painting. In the meantime, meals for inmates are being prepared by other kitchens within the Westville Management Area.
Members of Parliament in the committee expressed concern over the poor condition of kitchens and facilities across several centres in KZN and Gauteng, many of which are in disrepair.
MPs questioned why the facilities were in such a poor state despite hundreds of millions of rand being paid to the Department of Public Works and Infrastructure (DPWI) for maintenance.
Committee chairperson Kgomotoso Anthea Ramolobeng said, 'We cannot keep on paying DPWI when servicing ought to be done but nothing happens whilst we are sitting with correctional facilities that are highly dilapidated, on the verge of collapse.'
The committee was told that more than R842 million was paid to the DPWI during the 2024/25 financial year under the user charges allocation. However, the DPWI has relinquished most of its maintenance duties to the DCS, prompting members to question whether the DCS has formally requested a refund.
Ramolobeng asked, 'What is the process of requesting a refund?' and said members wanted to know when a request was made and how the DPWI responded, if at all.
The Modderbee Correctional Centre kitchen project in Gauteng also came under scrutiny. A full upgrade tender advertised by the DPWI lapsed with no award made. The DCS went ahead with limited renovations using its own staff and inmates in October 2023 at a cost of R94 464. The kitchen reopened in March this year but still needs R7 million for equipment.
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