Chairperson, the response to Bishop Tolo's question is: A chief directorate on remand detention systems has been established to do further work on the need for establishing a remand detention centre.
The justice, crime prevention and security cluster and the management of awaiting-trial detainees' project team was established with the Department of Correctional Services as the lead department to develop proposals with regard to the scope of the project. Work has been done in line with the strategic plan for 2007-08 to 2011-12. Draft guidelines for minimum infrastructure have been developed. There has been consultation with the Justice Crime Prevention and Security, JCPS, departments and we are in the approval process of the department.
Appropriate remand detention facilities will be established in line with the minimum facilities requirements. Regions have identified one correctional centre per region as a dedicated remand detention facility.
The department has appointed a research team to assist with the job refinement process which in fact means the alignment of the organisational structure with the functions of the department. This process has not been finalised but it is scheduled to be concluded before the end of the current financial year.
The creation of a branch for remand detention and regional head are dependant on the outcome of the process of alignment. The costing of a remand detention system, the development of the activity structure and the budget programme proposals have not been finalised by the project team. Proposals in terms of the programme structure of the department are an agenda item in discussions with the National Treasury which has taken cognisance of the importance of finalising the budgetary requirements of the remand detention project. Thank you.
Chairperson, I thank the Comrade Minister for his response. Comrade Minister, what are the benefits of establishing a separate branch for awaiting-trial detainees? Secondly, what will the responsibility be of the other criminal justice departments such as the Department of Justice and Constitutional Development with regard to awaiting-trial detainees? Thanks very much.
Chairperson, as we have said here this team which is led by the Department of Correctional Services has other departments of the JCPS and all of them are included in that and are working together because, remember, the awaiting-trial detainees are not only the responsibility of the Department of Correctional Services. They are also the responsibility of Justice as well as the SAPS. Together we have to look after awaiting-trial detainees.
One of the benefits of a separation of branches is to make sure that we have a dedicated budget for that, which will probably be a budget that includes the other departments in assisting us with this. I must say that I was quite happy when I picked up that the Justice Portfolio Committee would be visiting our awaiting-trial detention facility in Pollsmoor, because it is very important that they look into that together with our Correctional Services Portfolio Committee and work together in trying to resolve this problem. Thank you.
Hon Minister, the average, daily awaiting-trial detainees' population remains at approximately 50 000. This pushes up the already overcrowded or overcrowding ratios in all our correctional centres and distracts the department from its core business of correcting offending behaviour and rehabilitating offenders.
In the latest annual report the department refers to the management of the remand detention project. Minister, with due respect, there has been talk of this for ages. What new, mitigating action can the Minister report in this regard and has he given serious consideration to actually privatising this function - a practice that is being followed in many other countries? Thank you.
Chairperson, I will start with the last one. As regards thinking about and considering privatising it, we haven't spoken about that yet. We haven't thought about it because we are in it together with other departments. So, I cannot make that decision alone as a department. We need other departments also to come together. Maybe that project team - the Management of Awaiting-Trial Detainee Project Team that we have put together - will come up with those kinds of recommendations.
You are quite correct. We have seen, in other countries, how they are run and how they have been privatised. It does take a lot from us. The population of awaiting-trial detainees is really too much and the time it takes is quite long. But with the involvement of the Portfolio Committee on Justice together with that on Correctional Services and that on the SAPS, it will help us a lot when we try to move the backlogs of those who have been in detention for a long time.
Correctly, it is not our core business. Our core business is to correct and rehabilitate and it is difficult with awaiting-trial detainees because they are here today and out tomorrow and sometimes they go through spells of bail applications and it takes so much from us. But I can assure you that the team that is handling this matter is very good and we are cracking the whip to get this done.
I would like to see pilot projects actually taking off in one of the big centres like Pollsmoor, Johannesburg Prison being the second one and, thirdly, one probably which is very overcrowded is Umtata. Something will be done in those three centres and once they work then I will know that we are on the right track. Thank you.
Minister's stance on suspension of a certain person
351. Ms D Kohler-Barnard (DA) asked the Minister of Safety and Security:
Whether he will suspend a certain person (name furnished) in view of his (a) overall performance, (b) the high crime rate and (c) relationship with a person with questionable reputation (name furnished); if not, why not; if so, what are the relevant details?