Manzankosi. Thank you, Mr Ndlovu. I wish to congratulate Manzankosi on his first speech delivered to this House as the Minister of Correctional Services. I wish to congratulate the department on the good work that they are doing for South Africans. They ensure the safety and security of all citizens.
The Minister has greatly improved on the good performance of the previous Minister, hon Nosiviwe Mapisa-Nqakula. One of the commendable tasks that Minister Ndebele has carried out is organising the Benoni conference in 2012. Its objectives were to find a solution to the overcrowding of our correctional facilities and the fight against crime. The ANC applauds the programmes carried out by the Minister, which are aimed at the rehabilitation of prisoners. One recent example is the opening of the art gallery at the Good Hope Prison here in Cape Town. This shows that the Minister and his department are determined to show how hard the ANC has worked to build this nation. [Applause.]
It is common knowledge that South Africa has one of the highest prison populations in the world. At the end of September it was reported that the number of correctional facilities had increased by 25%. That, therefore, is a clear indication that we do not have enough space to keep our prisoners that we continuously send to prison.
I mentioned in my previous speech similar to this one that the release of prisoners on parole and their social integration is a subject close to my heart. It is for that reason, among others, that I am asking the Minister of Correctional Services to address the issue of overcrowded prisons. He could achieve that by providing facilities for community correction.
I would also like to invite traditional leaders. They also attended the session last week but we did not discuss how they were going to fight crime in the communities under their leadership. We would like them to assist us with minor cases.
You all know how such cases are tried in traditional courts. Maybe that could also help with the prevention of overcrowding in our prisons. It would also help judges with passing sentences for minor cases that do not warrant time in prison. We are saying this to reiterate what was said in the Kliptown Congress of the People - not the Cope that is in this House - it was said in the Freedom Charter, "We will all be equal before the law." To emphasise this it was further said:
People will be incarcerated for serious crimes and that will be done for their rehabilitation, not to pay unnecessary revenge.
One good example of that is what happened when prisoners committed themselves to doing community service. They painted the institution known as Pace College at Jabulani, Soweto, to prepare for Mr Madiba's 67 minutes. They also pruned some trees, did some gardening and fixed the community hall in order to give back to the community to atone for the crimes that they had committed.
Since we are discussing the department's budget we have to ask for more funding for it in order to prevent the overcrowding of correctional facilities. I wish to also encourage the department to continue with carrying out the good policies of the people's party, the ANC, in order to ensure the safety and security of our people.
Section 12 of the National Development Plan, NDP, discusses the building of safe communities. The NDP promotes the ruling party's national democratic revolution. According to it, the 2030 vision of building safe communities is described as follows:
Citizens of this country must feel safe in their homes, schools and places of work. They have to feel safe in their communities. Women must walk around without any fear. Communities must also be safe places for children to play.
This reiterates the vision of the Freedom Charter that says, "There will be peace and friendship." The NDP further states that:
Community organisations like NGOs must be trained for the social integration of released prisoners. Such organisations should be identified in order to assist them with funding.
I would also like to encourage the department to continue working together with NGO's in building and monitoring halfway houses to assist prisoners released on parole and also with their social integration. The halfway house programme started in Gauteng in 2012 and it is going well. This is what the ANC means when it says, "Together we can do more."
In my similar previous speech I mentioned that victims of crime must be given special consideration in the justice system of South Africa. I am pleased that the number of crime victims involved in the process of parole applications has increased.
The department must be congratulated on that. We must state that in the 2010-11 financial year it was reported that 253 crime victims were involved in the parole. There was a considerable increase in the 2011-12 financial year, when 684 applications were received.
I must state that since the ANC took power in 1994 we have observed a great difference in the functioning of parole application boards. They are performing excellently and that did not happen in the previous government.
In the 2011-12 financial year the department reported only 15 cases that were brought to the Parole Application Review Board. This is what the ANC means when it talks about good foundations of the justice system.
Chairperson, before I conclude, it comes as a surprise to me that the members who spoke before I did, such as Mr Ndlovu, claimed to be ignorant of who is eligible for parole. Yes, Mr Ndlovu, you know it very well since you always attend meetings and you are a member of the committee. I cannot waste my time explaining to you who is eligible for parole and when since you are well aware of that.
It is not just given to anyone who gets arrested. It is only granted after certain procedures have been followed inside prison. It is those procedures that help us determine whether a prisoner is eligible for parole. That is why it is important that prisoners released on parole must be well received by their communities and their families so that they do not break it after their rehabilitation.]
The ANC supports the Bill. [Time expired.] [Applause.]