Sihlalo angithathe leli thuba ngihalalisele udadewethu uNtwanambi ngesikhundla asinikiwe. Ngamagama nje asewashilo, kafushane ngingasho ukuthi uma ebhukula siyomlandela nathi. [Chairperson, let me take this opportunity to congratulate the hon Ntwanambi for the position she has been given. Following what she has just said, I can briefly say that when she swings, we will follow her.]
When you swing, we will follow through.
Chairperson, the Bill before the House seeks to amend the Correctional Services Act, 1998 in order to align correctional services legislation with the White Paper on Correctional Services. Among others, the Bill attempts to include the principles contained in the White Paper on the legislation. The IFP is satisfied that, for the most part, these objectives have been achieved. One of the main features of the Bill is to address offender behaviour by sentenced persons, taking into account the safety of inmates, officials and the public, while at the same time protecting inmates against arbitrary actions that are inconsistent with our Bill of Rights and the Constitution.
The IFP's point of view is that the most important issue relating to corrections is to ensure successful reintegration of offenders into society by using appropriate intervention directed at both the inmates and relevant societal institutions. In this regard we feel that nongovernmental and community-based organisations can make a very important contribution to assist the reintegration of offenders by providing them with short-term practical assistance until they are fully ready to play a meaningful role in society.
The IFP, therefore, feels that preventing reoffending by releasing inmates should be the number one priority for rehabilitation and reintegration programmes. While we support the Bill, the IFP feels that the department could do more to educate juveniles serving long services to provide them with the education skills to become responsible citizens upon their release, rather than being a burden on society.
This investment in offender education is vital to rehabilitation. Reintegration goals are to be met and released persons given every opportunity to find jobs and make a new start in life.
Ngqongqoshe mhlawumbe uzokuzwa lokhu uma ngikubeka ngokuthi sesihambile kuzo zonke izindawana, i-Westville yiyo eyaphuma phambili lapho sathola khona ukuthi abantu abagcinwanga nje kuphela kodwa intsha iyafunda lapho. Sathola ukuthi sekukhona noMatikuletsheni. Okwaba kubi nje khona ukuthi othisha ngoba baqashwe nguMnyango, umvuzo wabo awulingani nomvuzo walaba abangaphandle kodwa mhlawumbe bebebenza umsebenzi okhaliphile kunalaba abangaphandle. Lokhu sikusho ngoba njengoba besilaphayana sithole ukuthi kunentsha eyinqwaba laphaya eMpumalanga ehleli engasebenzi isikhathi eside, uma iphuma, izophuma iye ngaphandle ingafundile. Izoqala kuphi, ngoba izoqala lapho igcine khona iye phambili, okungukuthi uma kade intshontsha isazoqhubeka intshontshe.
Kodwa-ke uma ngabe umqondo sewushintshile kungaba lula ukuthi lezo zingane zikwazi ukuthi uma ziphumela ngaphandle zifike sezinotho olungahle lwenze ukuthi ziqasheke. Phela ngisho nomuntu oshanelayo imbala kufanele akwazi ukubala ukuthi mingaki imishanelo ekhona. Intsha yethu ingumgogodla wakusasa. Ngakho-ke siyacela Ngqongqoshe ukuthi masibambisane kulokho. Asiye phambili [Ihlombe.]. (Translation of isiZulu paragraphs follows.)
[Hon Minister, maybe you will understand this if I put it this way; We visited all centres, and Westville Correctional Services Centre was the best because we discovered that people are not just kept there but the youth is also learning. We discovered that matriculation programmes have been introduced.
The bad thing we observed was that teachers are employed by the department, and their salaries are not the same as those of teachers working outside the prison sector and yet they are doing a better job than their counterparts. We say this because when we visited Mpumalanga, we discovered that there is a lot of youth there and they have been idling for a long time. When they get released, they will rejoin the community with no skills having been acquired while in prison. And what do they do after their release? They start where they left off and go forth, which simply means that if they were stealing, they go back to the life of stealing.
However, if their mind-sets have been changed, it will be easier for those young ex-offenders to do something which would make them employable when they are released, because even an ordinary floor sweeper must be able to count, so as to know how many brooms he has in store. Our youth is the backbone for the future. We therefore request co-operation in that regard, hon Minister. Let us go forward. [Applause.]]