7. It is a matter of serious concern that programmes responsible for the welfare and rehabilitation of offenders have always received the smallest share of the DCS' budget. It remains to be seen whether, without sufficient funds having been allocated to these programmes, the DCS will achieve Government's objective of reducing serious and violent crime through rehabilitating inmates and equipping them with skills to be used after release, thus reducing the recidivist rate and contributing to South Africans being and feeling safe.