Chairperson, hon Ministers, hon members and esteemed guests, the White Paper on Corrections in South Africa falls short in substantive ways in terms of the requirements of modern policy-making.
Eight years after its adoption, results in respect of the rehabilitation vision remain unknown and elusive. The Judicial Inspectorate for Judicial Services estimated that only a small percentage of sentenced prisoners are involved in some form of treatment programme or labour.
For the overwhelming majority of sentenced prisoners, the White Paper has not lived up to its expectations. Whilst it may be argued that to reinvent the South African prison system is a goal not to be achieved within eight years, it must also be asked whether the White Paper provides the correct response to rehabilitation, to the numerous challenges faced by our prison system.
The White Paper defines these "challenges" as being overcrowding, the state of prison infrastructure, institutional prison culture, corruption, training for the new paradigm and structuring the department for the new paradigm.
Human rights violations and mention of meeting the minimum standards of humane detention are absent. The latter can be challenged around infrastructure and overcrowding. However, the White Paper gives little attention to human rights concerns and deals in detail with rehabilitation.
Compliance with the Correctional Services Act is not a stated outcome of the White Paper; hence, the department consistently faces litigation, at present to the amount of hundreds of millions of rands. If rehabilitation is the core business of the department, the White Paper does not state in express terms what is required at operational level with reference to staff skills, required staff categories, infrastructure, etc.
Now it is still unknown to what extent the stated preconditions for implementation have been met. It is advisable that the White Paper is reconceptualised and attention be paid to compliance with the Correctional Services Act. This will ensure that experience informs the policy development process, in full-scale consultation with stakeholders, is embarked upon.
The White Paper and its associated intricate processes may indeed be too tall an order for the current skills and lack in capacities of the department. A short-term goal is desirable to develop a sense of achievement. The department should therefore undertake to improve the education and skills levels of all sentenced prisoners, regardless of their sentence term.
Closer to where I come from, some years ago, the police had to be called in after prisoners at the new Kimberley Correctional Centre rioted and held officials hostage. The excuse was that management did not pay attention to their grievances.
Early this year, there were similar incidents at the Groenpunt Correctional Centre in the Free State, which led to the loss of lives, at St Alban's Correctional Centre, as well as at Pollsmoor Prison right here in Cape Town.
Many of us still recall the anxious mothers and family members who had come to Pollsmoor to enquire about the wellbeing of their loved ones after the disturbances.
Why is it that when grievances are laid at the door of the management of these centres, and it appears that there is a failure in addressing them, it subsequently leads to violence, invariably ending in a loss of life and serious damage to taxpayer-funded property?
Whilst there are many dedicated officials in the department, it is equally true that we are also plagued by rogue officials.
Hon Minister, Cope is gravely concerned about recent headlines involving the isolation of prison inmates at Mangaung Prison. Oupa Mabalane was placed in solitary confinement on 25 November 2005, nine years after the supreme law of our country, the Constitution, was adopted. Oupa Mabalane spent 23 hours a day in his cell with no exercise or interaction with any other persons.
Was that an isolated case? If that is so, it is in direct contravention of section 35(2)(e) and (f) of the supreme law of the land.
Almal weet dat die grootste probleem in Korrektiewe Dienste oorbevolking is, met tronke wat byna drie maal hul kapasiteit dra. Ek glo as die regering die wilskrag het om dit aan te pak, hierdie probleem opgelos kan word.
Vanaf 1996 wys die Ministers al die probleem uit, maar die uitslae toon dat daar nie die politieke wilskrag bestaan om dit reg te stel nie. Die oorbevolking word veroorsaak deur mense wat tot drie maande, ses maande, 'n jaar of twee gestraf word en so gevangenes word wat in die tronk sit, pleks daarvan om toepaslike strawwe uit te dien.
Korrektiewe instellings is nooit gebou om hierdie soort gevangene daar te hou nie. Hierdie mense is veronderstel om gemeenskapstrawwe uit te dien. Hulle kan aangewend word om kerkpersele, begraafplase en staatsgeboue skoon te maak en te herstel. Laat hierdie mense landswyd gemeenskapstuine kweek en onderhou en op hierdie wyse terugbetaal aan die gemeenskap wat hulle leed aangedoen het. Intussen spandeer die departement miljoene rand om perdfris mense die ganse dag toe te sluit en lekker vet te voer. Hierdie gevangenes sit vir ure in daardie selle en kyk televisie sonder om 'n televisielisensie te betaal.
Korrektiewe inrigtings is bedoel vir geharde kriminele soos moordenaars, verkragters, vrouemolesteerders, bankrowers en almal wat ernstige oortredings begaan.
Die tweede oorsaak van hierdie oorbevolking is verhoorafwagtendes, waaroor ek hoor ons almal saamstem. Sommige moet tot sewe jaar wag, en so word miljoene rand aan belasting op hierdie aanhoudings bestee. Hierdie oorbevolking plaas groot druk op die personeel en veroorsaak onnodige spanning tussen die bewaarder en die gevangene, asook tussen gevangene en gevangene.
Minister, laat ek vandag dit aan hierdie Huis stel dat ons land op 'n tydbom sit wat enige tyd oomblik kan ontplof as daar nie iets dringend aan die situasie gedoen word nie. [Tussenwerpsels.] Ons mag een oggend wakker skrik en vind dat duisende gevangenes uitgebreek het.
Minister, ek weet ook goed dat die departement die akseptor is, en u ontvang hierdie klinte van die Departement van Justisie en Grondwetlike Ontwikkeling. Cope stel voor dat u met u kollegas in die Kabinet en in die Departement van Justisie en Grondwetlike Ontwikkeling in konsultasie tree om saam te werk. Ek glo deur saam met die landdroste te werk, kan u hulle dalk oortuig om gemeenskapstrawwe op te l. [Applous.] (Translation of Afrikaans paragraphs follows.)
[Everyone knows that the biggest problem in Correctional Services is overcrowding, with prisons carrying almost three times their capacity. I believe that, if government has the willpower to tackle it, this problem can be solved.
Since 1996 Ministers have been pointing out this problem, but the results show that there is no political will to correct this. Overcrowding is caused by people who are sentenced to three months, six months, a year or two, thus becoming prisoners sitting in prison instead of serving more fitting punishment.
Correctional facilities were never built to keep this kind of prisoner there. These people are supposed to be serving community sentences. They can be put to use cleaning and repairing church premises, cemeteries and state buildings. Let these people cultivate and maintain community gardens countrywide and in this way repay the community for the harm they have caused. Meanwhile the department is spending millions of rands every day on locking up totally fit people all day long and feeding them until they are nice and fat. These prisoners will sit for hours in those cells, watching television, without even having to pay for a television licence.
Correctional facilities are meant for hardened criminals such as murderers, rapists, molesters of women, bank robbers and all who commit serious offences.
The second cause of this overcrowding is those who are awaiting trial, who I hear we are all in agreement about. Some of them have to wait for up to seven years, and so millions of rands are spent on these detainments. This overcrowding places a lot of pressure on the staff, causing unnecessary tension between the warden and the prisoner, as well as between prisoner and prisoner.
Minister, let me put it to this House today that our country is sitting on a time bomb that can go off at any moment if something urgent is not done about the situation. [Interjections.] We may wake up with a start one morning to find that thousands of prisoners have broken out of jail.
Minister, I am also well aware that the department is the recipient, and that you are receiving these clients from the Department of Justice and Constitutional Development. Cope proposes that you consult with your colleagues in the Cabinet and in the Department of Justice and Constitutional Development about working together. I believe that by working together with the magistrates, you may be able to convince them to start handing down community service sentences. [Applause.]]