Thank you, Chairperson.
The IFP is extremely concerned about the corporate culture that seems to be developing amongst the staff of the department, and which includes absenteeism, alcoholism - ukudakwa emsebenzini [to be drunk at work] - fraud and corruption. These are serious issues which can have a profound knock-on effect in terms of how the prisons are run and the overall safety of inmates, prison staff and the general public. We accordingly urge the Minister to pay careful attention to, and immediately put in place measures to address, these disturbing trends. Another concern of the IFP is that we note from the budget that insufficient resources are being deployed in the developmental and social reintegration projects. In fact, 16% of the budget is allocated to these programmes. The IFP strongly believes these programmes to be a non- negotiable essential for rehabilitation, especially against the background of the high levels of repeat offenders that we have in our country. We therefore ask the Minister to look very seriously at this aspect of her portfolio.
In accordance with the White Paper and the President's state of the nation address, the department has been tasked with the responsibility of making South Africa safe. In 2008 and 2009 there were 69 escapes, and to date there has been a number of further escapes. This is quite unacceptable and does not make our citizens feel safe, wherever they are.
On the issue of tenders, and in particular the tender for the new- generation prison in Kimberley, we would like to caution the department to look before they leap in future. They should observe due diligence, so that we do not have a repeat of the fiasco where we have an increase in a project of some 260%, as we now have with the new-generation prison in Kimberley. This is negligence of the highest order on the part of the department, and we trust that the Minister will ensure that a situation like this does not occur again. If people are found to be guilty they should be fired or arrested. The policy of releasing offenders should be known and understood by everybody, and the same criteria should apply to all inmates, not only to those who know the Minister.
Lastly, looking at your strategic plan, Minister, we note that you have set yourself very high and lofty goals. We in the IFP wish you every success in achieving these goals, for as you know, failure will come at a high price to the country, and is not an option for you and for any of us. Thank you.