Latest news with #KgomotsoAntheaRamolobeng
IOL News
16-07-2025
- Business
- IOL News
State of South Africa's correctional facilities raises alarm over budget shortfalls
Portfolio Committee voices concerns over correctional facilities' maintenance woes Image: File The Portfolio Committee on Correctional Services reiterated its deep concerns about the unsustainable state of correctional facilities across South Africa. The committee outlined that chronic budget shortfalls have rendered many facilities unable to maintain basic operational standards, threatening the wellbeing of inmates and staff alike. During the session, the committee received a briefing from the Department of Public Works and Infrastructure (DPWI) concerning ongoing disputes related to user charges, as well as key issues identified during oversight visits to various correctional facilities. The DPWI highlighted that itemised billing, sanctioned by the National Treasury (NT), has resulted in a staggering shortfall of R24.1 billion since its implementation. This has raised alarm bells, especially as the rates approved by the NT fall significantly short of what is needed for full cost recovery. Currently, the DPWI, which serves as the landlord for government properties, receives an average rent of R23.24 per square metre from client departments. In stark contrast, the costs paid to the private sector for maintenance amount to R110 per square meter. The vast discrepancies have forced the DPWI to operate at a crippling loss, particularly concerning the properties it manages for the Department of Correctional Services. Video Player is loading. Play Video Play Unmute Current Time 0:00 / Duration -:- Loaded : 0% Stream Type LIVE Seek to live, currently behind live LIVE Remaining Time - 0:00 This is a modal window. Beginning of dialog window. Escape will cancel and close the window. Text Color White Black Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Background Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Transparent Window Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Transparent Semi-Transparent Opaque Font Size 50% 75% 100% 125% 150% 175% 200% 300% 400% Text Edge Style None Raised Depressed Uniform Dropshadow Font Family Proportional Sans-Serif Monospace Sans-Serif Proportional Serif Monospace Serif Casual Script Small Caps Reset restore all settings to the default values Done Close Modal Dialog End of dialog window. Advertisement Next Stay Close ✕ Over the past five years, DPWI has reported a cumulative deficit of R1.9 billion, averaging losses of R376 million annually. Committee Chairperson Kgomotso Anthea Ramolobeng said it does not help if one has a beautiful kitchen in a centre with five or six stoves, but only one is working. "We saw that for ourselves in KwaZulu-Natal,' she added. She implored the task team to prioritise areas that require immediate attention to avert further deterioration. 'Once inmates are unable to eat or are given one meal a day, it becomes a serious challenge,' she added, stressing the critical nature of regular meal provision in correctional facilities. The committee is advocating for the continuation of maintenance efforts, urging the Department of Correctional Services to leverage offender labour for repairs. Ramolobeng emphasised the importance of filling artisan vacancies, which could potentially facilitate the rejuvenation of under-maintained facilities. In a bid to address these pressing issues, the committee has called for a meeting of all heads of departments from the DPWI, DCS, and NT to deliberate on user charge allocations that have cost taxpayers over R842 million in the current 2024/25 period. Despite these funds being allocated, a significant portion of maintenance responsibilities has been shifted back to the DCS, stirring concern among committee members regarding accountability and effective resource utilisation. Moving forward, the committee has proposed inviting the National Treasury to provide further insight into these matters, and it has mandated that regular updates be provided from the task team, which is expected to forge viable solutions for the internal conflicts and external challenges facing South Africa's correctional facilities. IOL
IOL News
08-07-2025
- Politics
- IOL News
Portfolio Committee calls for foreign nationals to serve prison sentences in their home countries
Prisoners at Goodwood Correctional Centre during an an oversight visit. Image: Brendan Magaar/Independent Newspapers (Archives) Chairperson of the Portfolio Committee on Correctional Services, Kgomotso Anthea Ramolobeng, said that the committee remains concerned about the number of foreign nationals in the country's prisons, and ideally wants them to serve out their sentences in their own countries. Ramolobeng was addressing the media and stakeholders at the Peace and Security Cluster Committee Chairpersons' briefing on Monday, July 7, 2025. Ramolobeng began her address by saying that the committee is pleased with the Department of Correctional Services reviewing the Correctional Services Act, 111 of 1998, as it will allow them to provide input on areas that they believe should be amended or strengthened, including Section 73 of the Act, which deals with the management of foreign national inmates in the country's facilities. 'We heard during the budget debate that the minister indicated there were 24,000 foreign national inmates in correctional centres across the country, which costs the state R11 million per day. 'The committee is seriously concerned that our correctional facilities have so many foreign nationals, but our country has not entered into an inmate exchange programme with any country. 'We intend to review this provision specifically as it relates to the incarceration of foreign nationals. We want to provide for foreign nationals serving life sentences to serve their sentences in their countries of origin due to the costs associated with housing foreign inmates in correctional facilities,' Ramolobeng said. 'We encourage the minister to consult further with the Minister of Home Affairs regarding the intention to review this provision.' Chairperson of the Portfolio Committee on Correctional Services, Kgomotso Anthea Ramolobeng. Image: GCIS Ramolobeng also addressed the remanding of detainees with bail of less than R1,000, where she said that the Department of Correctional Services (DCS) reports a total of 166,008 inmates in correctional centres nationwide, comprising 104,117 sentenced inmates and 61,891 remanded detainees. 'Remand detainees are the biggest contributor to overcrowding in correctional centres. We are concerned about the staggering cost of keeping and maintaining remand detainees in correctional facilities, which costs the department R482 per day and over R13,000 monthly for each detainee. 'Taking into consideration the pressing issue of overcrowding in our correctional facilities, many remand detainees are in the centres for months and years simply because they cannot afford to pay bail, which at times is as low as R300,' Ramolobeng said. 'We cannot have a system that further perpetuates the injustices that our constitutional democracy so desperately tries to correct. It is in this context that we congratulate the Judicial Inspectorate for Correctional Services for their efforts to undertake a feasibility study on a pilot bail fund project for remand detainees with a bail amount of R1,000. 'Although this is a band-aid to the pressing challenge of overcrowding, we trust it will, in the meantime, assist with the immediate decongestion of our facilities as we work toward a more sustainable solution while also addressing the unintended consequence of discriminating against offenders based on their socio-economic status,' Ramolobeng said. She explained that there are two legislative provisions intended to assist with managing overcrowding in correctional facilities, but in reality, they are producing very minimal results. The committee is also calling on the Department of Justice and Constitutional Development, as well as other key stakeholders, to take seriously its relationship with the DCS, 'because most of its challenges do not emanate from DCS not delivering on its mandate'. The committee has raised concerns about the state of correctional facilities they've witnessed during oversight visits to some of these facilities, particularly regarding the maintenance of infrastructure by the Department of Public Works and Infrastructure (DPWI) and the condition of the kitchens. 'The DCS has informed the committee that DPWI has devolved maintenance of infrastructure to the DCS. However, this is done without proportional budget allocation to DCS. DCS has informed the committee that a total of R842,125,349 was processed and paid to DWPI under the auspices of User Charges Allocation in the 2024/25 financial year,' Ramolobeng said. She stated that the committee has since resolved to request that the Minister of Public Works and Infrastructure appear before the committee on 15 July 2025 to discuss this matter and other infrastructure challenges faced by DCS. [email protected]
IOL News
02-07-2025
- Business
- IOL News
Parliament grills Correctional Services over R22. 95 bread price tag
The Department of Correctional Services bakery at Standerton Correctional Centre. Image: Department of Correctional Services Questions have been raised about the price of loaves of bread being procured by the Department of Correctional Services (DCS). The Portfolio Committee on Correctional Services noted the steep increase from R13.36 in 2024/25 to R22.95 per loaf in 2025/26. This follows a briefing to the committee by DCS on its use of consultants and an update on the establishment of bakeries in correctional centres, including the cost breakdown on bread supplied by external suppliers versus internal sources. Chairperson Kgomotso Anthea Ramolobeng said the dissatisfaction by members was visible after DCS indicated it is now paying more per loaf for a bulk supply than normal South Africans pay in a retail store. 'It cannot be that we are paying so much. We note and welcome the input by the Minister that the procedure of appointment of contractors is being re-worked, as the price is excessive,' Ramolobeng said. The Department of Correctional Services expands its national bakery programme. Image: Timothy Bernard / Independent Newspapers The committee also commended the DCS's efforts to achieve self-sufficiency in baking its own bread. This has led to saving over R27.4 million for the 2024/25 financial year. Ramolobeng said that while they are pleased with this effort, more needs to be done to ensure that all correctional facilities have their own bakeries. DCS currently has 11 bakeries nationwide that are managed by correctional officials. These bakeries not only provide self-sufficiency and sustainability but also job opportunities for offenders, develop their skills, and save on costs. The first bakery was opened at the Kgosi Mampuru II facility in 1992. Since then, additional bakeries have been established across six regions. The Standerton and Pietermaritzburg bakeries were opened during the 2024/25 financial year, and the Durban bakery was commissioned on June 23, 2025, for test baking. When it becomes operational, 12 correctional centres will have bakeries. Some of the bakeries that are in the planning and consultation phases, and the estimated target date of completion: - Nigel (August 30, 2026) - Krugersdorp (March 30, 2027) - Helder Stroom (December 1, 2026) - Brandvlei (October 15, 2026) - Groenpunt (August 30, 2026) - Upington (September 15, 2026) - Overberg (September 15, 2026) - Baviaanspoort (December 1, 2025) The committee heard that in the 2024/25 financial year, 5.27 million loaves of bread were required/ordered from departmental bakeries and just over five million were baked – a shortfall of 270,870.
Zawya
25-06-2025
- Zawya
Correctional Services Committee Wants More Inmates to Participate in Production Workshops
The Portfolio Committee on Correctional Services has noted with concern the number of inmates participating in rehabilitation programmes and has urged the Department of Correctional Services (DCS) to encourage greater participation, as this will benefit both offenders and the department. Committee Chairperson Ms Kgomotso Anthea Ramolobeng said the committee yesterday received a briefing from the DCS on rehabilitation and reintegration programmes: the effectiveness of educational, vocational and therapeutic programmes, including success rates of inmate reintegration into society and reduction in recidivism, especially among the youth. Ms Ramolobeng said: 'A greater number of inmates participating in such programmes in the workshops or agricultural means skills are developed, assisting offenders when they are released from correctional facilities that makes social reintegration smoother. At the same time, it will save the department money as they aim to move toward self-sustainability.' She said the committee noted that the Eastern Cape region, for example, has 14 077 sentenced offenders, but only 91 participate in production workshops and 651 participate in agriculture production, resulting in only 742 offenders active in skills development out of a total population. Also of concern is the number of hours inmates currently work. The presentation highlighted that offenders work less than five hours per day. This raises concern, especially considering plans by the DCS to become self-sufficient in terms of food for offenders and revenue generation through production workshops. 'So, the issue is clearly two-fold. Encouraging offenders to participate in production workshops ensures skills transfer and development, as well as ensuring that the department cuts cost on items that can be insourced through offender labour,' Ms Ramolobeng said. It is also concerning that that the DCS has no post establishment for bakers in the bakeries. 'This is surprising since bread is the most consumed food in our centres. We also need to increase the number of bakeries currently. We must ensure we are self-reliant,' said the Chairperson. Ms Ramolobeng further stated that the presentation only highlighted post establishments for psychologists, social workers, educationists and spiritual care workers but not for other important professions such as artisans. In a presentation to the committee earlier this year, the DCS reported that there were 17 vacancies for psychologists and currently there are 26 vacancies. This means an additional nine posts became vacant since then. 'We have been assured that some of these posts are receiving urgent attention. We can expect appointments within the next six months. They will also provide us with their recruitment plan. We assured the department we will closely monitor this commitment to see if materialises,' she emphasised. The committee also commended the DCS for Sunday's unannounced raid at Odi Correctional Centre in Pretoria. 'We note the contraband that were confiscated. We note that disciplinary processes are being followed where officials were implicated. Furthermore, we call for further charges to be added for those inmates that were caught in possession of contraband. This initiative is a commendable step and should be continued, especially in problematic facilities,' the Chairperson said. Distributed by APO Group on behalf of Republic of South Africa: The Parliament.
IOL News
05-06-2025
- Politics
- IOL News
Proposed bail fund sparks debate among lawmakers and civil society
The proposed Bail Fund seeks to alleviate the plight of low-risk detainees, but experts warn of the need for stringent oversight and community engagement. Image: Independent Newspapers Archives A proposed Bail Fund to assist awaiting trial detainees who cannot afford low bail amounts has drawn mixed reactions from civil society, lawmakers, and justice experts, all of whom broadly support the concept but warn that public safety, accountability, and careful criteria will be critical. The Judicial Inspectorate for Correctional Services (JICS) presented the idea to Parliament's Portfolio Committee on Correctional Services this week, describing the fund as a non-state resource that would provide bail assistance for low-risk detainees. These are individuals who courts have already assessed and are deemed fit for release but who remain incarcerated simply because they cannot afford bail often amounts below R1 000. JICS told MPs that as of June 2025, there were 2 613 detainees in South African correctional centres who had been granted bail under R1 000 but remained behind bars. The inspectorate stated, 'They are prisoners of poverty.' A pilot programme for the fund is set to launch in the Western Cape and will exclude those accused of violent offences, including gender-based violence. Detainees eligible for support will be those deemed not to be a flight risk, not a danger to the public or witnesses, and who have a fixed address. Committee chairperson Kgomotso Anthea Ramolobeng however said in some instances it was not a question of affordability, but rather families had chosen not to pay even low bail amounts. 'Our impression was that if they were inside a detention centre, they were out of the family's hair. We found that in many cases, families of juvenile detainees refused to pay even low bail, saying the youths had caused too much mischief in the community.' Video Player is loading. Play Video Play Unmute Current Time 0:00 / Duration -:- Loaded : 0% Stream Type LIVE Seek to live, currently behind live LIVE Remaining Time - 0:00 This is a modal window. Beginning of dialog window. Escape will cancel and close the window. Text Color White Black Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Background Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Transparent Window Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Transparent Semi-Transparent Opaque Font Size 50% 75% 100% 125% 150% 175% 200% 300% 400% Text Edge Style None Raised Depressed Uniform Dropshadow Font Family Proportional Sans-Serif Monospace Sans-Serif Proportional Serif Monospace Serif Casual Script Small Caps Reset restore all settings to the default values Done Close Modal Dialog End of dialog window. Advertisement Next Stay Close ✕ Ad Loading She stressed that public engagement was needed before the fund could be rolled out nationally. 'It is important to thoroughly engage communities as offenders on bail will have to go back to families and communities.' Civil society group Just Detention International–South Africa (JDI-SA) said the problem of prisoners being unable to avoid bail was widespread. 'Overcrowding is a huge problem in many correctional facilities. We have found, and it has been well documented by both JICS and Department of Correctional Services over the years, that many people in the typically overcrowded awaiting trial facilities are there because they can't afford the bail granted, even when it's a low amount,' said Doreen Gaura of JDI-SA. She argued that the fund could have a significant impact, particularly for those detained for petty offences or juveniles. 'Incarceration is already incredibly traumatising. Many people who suffer sexual abuse behind bars first experience abuse while in police holding or awaiting trial detention,' Gaura said. 'Custodial approaches must ideally be utilised as a last resort. A well-managed Bail Fund would alleviate the incredibly dehumanising and volatile conditions of awaiting trial detention and contribute to reducing the country's high recidivism rates,' she added. However, JDI-SA cautioned that the fund would require rigorous oversight. 'A governing oversight structure comprised of vetted, diverse, and representative experts, as well as an accountability framework, would help ensure the fund is not misused,' Gaura said. DA spokesperson on correctional services, Janho Engelbrecht, said the party supported the idea in principle, but insisted that 'implementation must be guided by clear policy, stringent oversight, and transparency.' 'We agree that individuals accused of violent crimes or gender-based violence should be excluded from benefiting from such a fund. However, further safeguards should be considered including prior convictions, flight risk, and community impact,' Engelbrecht said. He raised concerns about the fact that the fund will be run outside of government and proposed that the fund be independently administered, 'with multi-sectoral representation, including civil society, the judiciary, correctional services, and Parliament. Regular audits, public reporting, and an accessible complaint mechanism are essential.' Engelbrecht said reintegration efforts must include community education, victim support, and mediation as appropriate.' Security and justice researcher David Bruce of the Institute for Security Studies said he trusted that JICS had thoroughly considered the proposal and its risks. 'I would expect that they are highly attentive to the need to emphasise the overall safety of South Africans,' he said. Bruce highlighted the broader social realities. 'They [JICS] come across far too many cases where people are being incarcerated on petty offences. Many of these people could benefit from help of different kinds, but one thing is not to impose an unnecessary burden on people who already have difficult lives.' He said criteria must be handled carefully, including attention to whether people had access to social support services. 'One of the biggest challenges is the absence of support services for people suffering drug addiction,' Bruce noted. Crime expert Chad Thomas added that the Bail Fund must be carefully targeted to prevent abuse. 'First offenders for petty offences should be considered for funding from the Bail Fund, not criminals with prior convictions,' he said. Thomas added that the fund could meaningfully ease pressure on the justice system.
