Hon Chairperson, Tiaan van der Walt was released from prison on 26 January 2013 after serving three-and-a-half years of a five-year sentence. At the end of May, he was arrested and confessed to murdering Dr Louis Heyns. He was in prison four times and had 18 previous convictions.
This story illustrates what is not right with the Department of Correctional Services. It is supposed to rehabilitate and reintegrate offenders. In fact, most offenders become more criminalised in prison. That is because the activities and the budget of the department are not aligned with the White Paper. It is because we have had three Ministers, four national commissioners and three chief financial officers in the last seven years. It is because prisoners are not obliged to work and become skilled and productive. For all these reasons, the DA will not support this Budget Vote. [Applause.]