Chairperson, the Minister, the Deputy Minister and my colleagues, allow me to add my small voice in congratulating my comrade, hon Ntwanambi, as the new Chief Whip. I promise that we will spare no effort in assisting her in her new duties. We want to ensure that she succeeds in carrying out her responsibilities.
The opposition, particularly Mr Le Roux, raised a point that we were soft on criminals, which is something that the ANC has never done when dealing with criminals.
However, we do realise the fact that these are South Africans. If they have committed an error, we must be able to ensure that we develop a programme of rehabilitating them because, we believe, that the practice of throwing away the keys is over. It can no longer be there in terms of dealing with the issues. Therefore, our view is that this matter is the matter that has been carried with responsibility because you can't wish the convicts away. You may sentence them but there'll come a time when they must come back and you have to deal with them.
Now, the responsibility that we have is to ensure that we change and correct the behaviour so that when they come back to society, they are people who would be able to live in families and in the communities that they are from. The issue that you are deliberately taking out of context - because you use it as a football in terms of dealing with it - is the issue of our comrade, Comrade Tony Yengeni. He was sentenced and accepted the sentence. He went to serve his term in prison and followed everything that had to be followed. We are not sure what you are questioning because we have leadership in the correctional services that would be able to deal with any misdemeanour, if there's any.
Up to now, they have not told us that there's any wrongdoing that has been committed by Comrade Tony Yengeni. We don't know. Maybe you have some information that we don't have. If you do, come and present it to us so that we are able to deal with the matter, but don't continue to use this issue as a politicking one. The issue of correcting the behaviour of people who have erred in society is a serious matter. In that way, we believe that it is a matter that is in capable hands. Another thing is that you are casting aspersions on the police investigation into this matter. The matter is sub judice and is dealt with by the judiciary institutions and law enforcement agencies. I think if you respect our law enforcement agencies that are dealing with these matters, you will leave the matter there until the decision is taken on it. Mr Le Roux raised another issue around the appointment of the chief executive officer, CEO, in the Office of the Inspecting Judge. That is a matter that has been agreed upon - no, we accept. He is an honourable member like all of us. We are "honourables". He is no exception on the matter.
The issue then of the Inspecting Judge is a matter that was discussed and agreed upon by the committee. I am not sure what he wants to achieve by raising it in this forum because he agreed with the proposal. The ANC was at the forefront of taking up the issue and it was agreed upon and I, therefore, am not sure what he wants or maybe he did not have facts when he was preparing his speech that he needed to present to this forum. Now, we are saying, colleague Le Roux, this is something you must deal with.
I want to raise another issue with my colleague from Gauteng, Mr Mzizi. Mr Mzizi, you see, this Ministry has been under the leadership of the IFP for many years. Comrade Ngconde Balfour is the first ANC Minister of the Department of Correctional Services. There is no trace of any footprint of the IFP of the good that it has done. There was chaos in that department before the Minister came in. When the Minister came in, the first thing he did was to ensure that the White Paper was developed for the first time in that department. That department has been guided by the policies coming from individuals without any policies that are followed by the country.
We, therefore, are saying, hon Mzizi, the ANC, as the revolutionary movement, came with the White Paper and today we see a culmination of its implementation because we are putting that process into law, where we are now saying to the Minister that we are giving him all the instruments to ensure that there must be a revolutionary change in correctional services. What we are expecting, amongst other things that I want to raise with you, Mr Minister, is to address the issue of ensuring that professionals are employed, particularly psychologists, as well as social workers.
These social workers will contribute in reducing the overcrowding of prisons because we have implemented sections 62(f), 63(a) and 276 subsection (a), which will make sure that people who do not deserve to be there are not there. At this point in time we are still experiencing problems but we understand that the payment regimes of these professionals are not adequate. Therefore, the Minister for the Public Service and Administration who is leading the process of changing payment regimes must ensure that these issues are catered for, so that these professionals are there and are deployed to those services. That is what we are expecting. The other task that we are expecting you to do, Minister, is to ensure that the safety committee forums are established, of course, working with your colleagues in Cabinet, so that these safety committee forums assist in reintegrating the offenders into society. When the offenders come out, they must be debriefed.
Kufanele batshelwe ukuthi manje sekushintshile lapha ekhaya - sekumi kanje. Njengabantu akade beboshiwe, kufanele baqonde ukuthi sebexolelwe futhi sebekhokhile ngesikhathi sabo ejele manje kufanele baphile ngale ndlela emphakathini.
Uma ufika kwezinye izindawo, akukho kwamuzi noma umndeni. Kuba kuhle uma efika kukhona izinhlaka ezizokwazi ukuthi zimemukele lo muntu ukuze abe yingxenye yomphakathi futhi akwazi ukubheka izinto azenzayo. Ngalawo magama sithi siwuKhongolose, Ngqongqoshe, sisemumva kwakho ngokuphelele. [Ihlombe.] (Translation of isiZulu paragraph follows.)
[They must be told that things have since changed in the outside world; they must know the current trends. As ex-offenders, they should be made to understand that they have been forgiven and they have paid their dues with the time they spent in prison and they should be made aware of the life which is led by in the community at that time.
When you follow some offenders' personal details, you find that they neither have homes nor families. And it is usually good if an ex-offender comes back to a place where there are structures that are going to welcome him so that he can be reintegrated into the community and be able to be careful of the things he does. With those words Minister, we say, as the African National Congress, we fully support you. [Applause.]]