National Commissioner, Makgothi Thobakgale, accompanied by Department of Correctional Services (DCS) executive management, welcomed newly-appointed Minister of Correctional Services, Dr Pieter Groenewald, to the department yesterday (Thursday, 11 July 2024) in Pretoria (Head Office).
In his address, Minister Groenewald echoed the imperatives of working as a collective and to accelerate service delivery to advance the mandate of the department.
Dr Groenewald said he is glad to join the employer of choice and is really looking forward to hit the ground running. “When we talk about Correctional Services, we are talking about services, we must deliver services to the people of South Africa. We must do our utmost best to ensure that when inmates get out of our facilities, they can be integrated back into society and contribute positively to the country. We should promote intergovernmental relations as part of working together with different departments in different clusters”, said Minister Groenewald.
He added that in order for the department to achieve its mission and vision, collective effort and unity should be promoted to make the work to follow easily. “If you want success, you must stand next to each other in the work space. We will make decisions together to ensure we deliver the best services to the people of South Africa. We can deliver quality services if we are proud of our work,” Dr Groenewald said.
He also commended the department for implementing the Self-Sufficiency and Sustainability Framework which empowers inmates with various skills. He emphasised that these are the kind of programmes that the general public need to be aware of.
National Commissioner Thobakgale outlined a number of completed projects as well as those still underway nation-wide, and said DCS is happy to have its own ministry adding that all executive members will support Minister Groenewald in his work.
Dr Groenewald brings a wealth of experience. He served for many years as a Member of Parliament where, among other roles, he served as a member of the Portfolio Committee on Police and the Portfolio Committee on Defence and Military Veterans.
Amongst his academic qualifications, the Minister holds a Doctorate (PhD) in Political Studies, a Master of Management and Development as well as Postgraduate Diploma in Business Communication.
Minister Groenewald’s next task will be tabling his maiden Budget Vote Speech on Monday, 15 July 2024 at 14h00, before Parliament