Chairperson, my hon Deputy Minister, hon Chairperson of the NCOP, guests present today, I feel it would be in order for me to premise my speech by quoting what is given to all of us whenever we are sworn in as Members of Parliament, so that all of us, irrespective of political affiliation, can have a few seconds to reflect:
We, the people of South Africa,
Recognise the injustice of our past;
Honour those who suffered for justice and freedom in our land; Respect those who have worked to build and develop our country; and
Believe that South Africa belongs to all who live in it, united in our diversity.
We therefore, through our freely elected representatives, adopt this Constitution as the supreme law of the Republic so as to - Heal the divisions of the past and establish a society based on democratic values, social justice and fundamental human rights;
Lay the foundations for a democratic and open society in which government is based on the will of the people and every citizen is equally protected by law; Improve the quality of life of all citizens and free the potential of each person; and
Build a united and democratic South Africa able to take its rightful place as a sovereign state in the family of nations.
May God protect our people.
I am deliberately quoting this so that whenever we are dealing with matters such as the Budget Vote of Correctional Services we realise it's good to criticise.
In this month of April, we are celebrating the 32nd anniversary of the execution of one of our gallant fighters, Solomon Kalushi Mahlangu. We all know that Mahlangu was wrongfully hanged. That is why we take this opportunity to pay tribute and homage to this great son of Africa. Today we have Mr Mofokeng and Mr Mokoena as our guests at this sitting.
I have heard people express criticism here and sometimes when you do not give credit where it is due, you tend to distort something that is genuine. Over the years the ANC has championed prisoners' rights and needs under the cruel, inhuman sentencing regime. You do not need reminding of how much we campaigned against corporal and capital punishment. Sections 10, 11, 12 and 28 of our Constitution outlaw the use of the death penalty, as decided in the case of State Makwanyane and Another, and that of corporal punishment in the case of State V Williams and Others.
It is better to give the context of good things that have been done by the department and criticise where there are limitations. Correctional Services, in my limited understanding, is not convicting people. They deal with people as offenders. I have decided to dedicate my speech to dedicated, efficient, committed Correctional Services officials who deal with these people on a daily basis.
In some situations, practically so, they deal with people who are innocent. Hence I decided to mention Mr Mofokeng and Mr Mokoena because they are a classic historical case of apartheid injustice. We know very well what happened. They were arrested in 1992 and convicted in 1993 by the apartheid government. Then what happened?
Hon Deputy Minister, you talk about the development of offenders. That is why we have to give credit where credit is due. Mr Mofokeng, when he was convicted in 1993, innocent as he may be, had only standard seven. Today he is somebody with standard 10, a higher certificate, and is a qualified tutor from Unisa. [Applause.] Mr Mokoena is today somebody with an N4. They are the result of the process that we are talking about, Deputy Minister. That is why I am saying we have to give credit where it is due. [Applause.] Talking about the issue of parole administration, when the Chairperson of the NCOP was petitioned and referred it to our committee, we as a committee called on officials from Correctional Services to appear but they never did, even though we summoned them. The very quotation from the Constitution that I decided to start my speech with today should help to give these officials a clear indication of and help them understand the role of a committee in the NCOP and the role of Parliament.
After the ruling of the 30th, all of us, irrespective of political affiliation - because we came to one conclusion, namely that this was a classic case of a miscarriage of justice - were in Kroonstad. And when we asked these people about the role of officials of Correctional Services - and we were forcing them because we were about to leave - they said, no, is it not possible for us to have a few minutes so that we can bid goodbye to people who made us reconsider when one of us was in a suicidal mood. We are referring to those Correctional Services officials.
The ruling that you referred to, Deputy Minister, was made on the 30th. Within 24 hours, there was communication between us and the office of the Minister to say that as early as the next day these people would be out. That is why they were out on the 2nd. It is clear that they understand, respect and uphold the Constitution. [Applause.]
I feel that at times we tend to miss the opportunity of engaging when we have people who are acting. We happen to have a director-general. It is very good, hon Makhubela, to congratulate when the gaps are being filled. We have people who are working on a permanent basis. That is very positive.
It is very good, hon Matila, to criticise when we have a vacancy rate of 14%. It is equally good to give credit when there is something positive. I started by highlighting that the issue of conviction and dealing with parole administration and the development of offenders is a challenge. I am making the case that all of us in our respective corners should always revisit the Constitution and try to interpret and understand it and engage about it. That will help us develop.
Allow me to say that what I have learnt in this case is that the people in South Africa - and I can be so bold as to say people everywhere in the world - do not care how much we know until they know how much we care. Let me repeat, people do not care how much we know until they know how much we care. That is when they start to take you seriously and consider what you are going to say.
In conclusion, this case illustrates that "together we can do more" to build an integrated criminal justice system. The budget must help to advance this task. When the Select Committee on Security and Constitutional Development adopted this budget on Thursday last week, the two former prisoners, that is Mr Mofokeng and Mr Mokoena, were present to say thank you to the NCOP and for the department's budget process.
They know the great need and the relevance of this budget to inmates. We hope that with the skills they acquired from correctional centres they will be able to contribute to rehabilitation and social reintegration and to a better life for all. The ANC supports this budget. I thank you. [Applause.]