Parliament’s select committee praises Tswelopele By Solly Mashabela Parliament’s Select Committee on Security and Justice this week congratulated the department for sterling work done at Tswelopele Correctional Centre. The committee had an oversight visit to the centre on Wednesday, 1 February. The Chairperson of the Select Committee on Security and Justice Dumisani Ximbi (left) and Free State and Northern Cape Regional Commissioner Subashini Moodley on a walkabout at Tswelopele Correctional Centre. Free State and Northern Cape regional management and centre managers made a presentation to the committee on how offenders are housed according to their categories, the programmes they participate in, living conditions at the facility, and how the centre dealt with the transfer of 1 000 offenders from Pollsmoor recently as a means to reduce overcrowding at Pollsmoor. It was followed by a walkabout through the centre.
Free State and Northern Cape Regional Commissioner Subashini Moodley said the region has a lower level of overcrowding mainly due to activities such as referrals to court for conversion of sentences, their participation in the regional Justice, Crime Prevention and Security cluster forum, and the overall reduction of crime in the region. She thanked the South African Police Service (SAPS) for the lower crime levels. Ms Moodley furthermore outlined the partnerships between DCS and nongovernmental health care organisations, and the Department of Health.
Kimberley Management Area has over 400 offenders on Antiretroviral Therapy (ART) and it also has a permanent doctor. Dr Alastair Kantani said what concerned him was the occurrence of remand detainees on ART who stop taking the medication when they are released, only to return after some time in a worse situation. He said some offenders also stretch the centre’s health care by reporting trivial ailments. Regardless, the doctor said since he could attend to most conditions, referrals to outside hospitals were mostly avoided. Committee members were impressed with the neatness and the running of the centre. They said their visit to Pollsmoor Management Area had given them a gloomy picture of the department, but Tswelopele gave them the opposite impression.
They said it was an example of what must be done in all other centres of the department. Committee member Mr Mohapi Mohapi suggested that management should consider the use of inflammable mattresses to prevent offenders from torching centres. Despite their praises, they were concerned over the vacancy rate and the absence of a maintenance contract. “This is a very beautiful centre, but I am worried that in 10 years’ time it will be like Pollsmoor,” committee member Tebogo Mokwele said. She said they will engage the Minister of Public Works. Deputy Regional Commissioner Grace Molatedi said some of the reasons vacancies were not filled were because of austerity measures and the high turnover rate of officials with scarce skills.
He said the previous government kept prison life secretive and offenders were isolated from society. He said the department is no longer hiding the faces behind bars because they are also part of the community. Mr Makwetla said the department needed the churches as partners to bring healing and transformation in society. “As a humane society we must have the capacity to forgive and help people to heal, not to perpetuate anger and hostility,” he said.
He was speaking at the DCS Health Partners Conference held at Vanderbijlpark from Tuesday, 19 April to Thursday, 21 April. The conference was convened by the Right to Care and attended by officials from KwaZulu-Natal and Free State and Northern Cape regions. Other partners that participated in the conference were the Department of Health and TB/HIV Care (Non-Governmental Organisation).