Convicted murderer and rapist Thabo Bester appears at the Pretoria high court. Oupa Mokoena / Independent Newspapers
The Department of Correctional Services came in for criticism when it briefed Parliament on its action plan to comply with Public Protector Kholeka Gcaleka’s remedial action in her report on the escape of Thabo Bester from Mangaung Prison.
Gcaleka gave the department 30 days to develop an escape prevention strategy, and guidelines for the Mangaung correctional facility and 120 days to develop a guideline on how anonymous anti-corruption reports will be attended to when she released her report last September.
Correctional Services Deputy Minister Lindiwe Ntshalintshali told MPs that her department submitted the report to Gcaleka within the stipulated deadlines.
“As a department, we complied and some of the action plans and activities are ongoing. It is things as a department we must continue doing to make sure that these policies are fully implemented,” Ntshalintshali said.
The department officials took the MPs through their presentation, stating that the policies have been reviewed and also provided a summary of the documents.
However, the MPs were not impressed.
DA MP Kabelo Kgobisa-Ngcaba said the presentations were underwhelming.
Kgobisa-Ngcaba said there was nothing specific to demonstrate a change to strengthen the policies that had existed and that extra resources were needed to deal with issues such as consequence management.
“I heard a lot of principles. Was it a plan to make a plan and what is it?” she asked.
EFF MP Carl Niehaus said he found the presentations were a tick-box exercise.
“I don’t find in these presentations clarity how you are to make sure what is promised us here will be implemented,” Niehaus said.
He wanted to know if the documents would be implemented at the privately-run prison facilities.
Niehaus also expressed his doubts that the whistle-blowers policy would protect whistle-blowers.
“I don’t find confidence in the document that it will be the case,” he said.
ANC MP Samuel Moela wanted to know how whistle-blowers will be protected and the difference in the prison escape prevention policy.
“What is new, what has been improved and are the strategies more or the same on escape applicable to public private partnership or across correctional centres?” Moela asked.
ActionSA’s Dereleen James said irrespective of the remedial actions or strategies put in place, the reality in most prisons was corruption by officials.
“I don’t see much discussion about officials aiding the escape and the consequences thereof. What is the plan to deal decisively with corrupt officials?” James said.
Patriotic Alliance MP Marlon Daniels said: “From the entire exhaustive presentations, there is absolutely nothing. It is a primary school presentation. I would have been embarrassed to have travelled all the way to make presentation to this committee. This presentation does not do justice to what is required to ensure public confidence based on what was heard here,” he said.
Correctional Services Commissioner Makgothi Thobakgale said what they presented was strategies and policies.
“In the correctional setting, each unit has its security plan. That comes at a cost and application of resources,” he said, adding they did with the little they had in terms of resources and budget.
He asked MPs to make a distinction between plans and strategies, and policy.
“I want to repeat that strategy, annual performance plans, and specific security operational plans are developed as we do our work,” Thobakgale said.
He also explained that security was the core business of their department.
“Each correctional centre has a strategy apart from the security plan,” Thobakgale added.
Ntshalintshali took offence at their presentations being labelled as of primary school quality.
“We were requested to come and brief the portfolio committee on the action plan, what we have done in terms of the Public Protector report that has been given to us and whether we have complied. Indeed we have. It cannot be correct that when we are here to report, we are said to be delivering a primary school presentation,” she said.
Cape Times