Date: 21/11/2005
Source: Department of Correctional Services
Title: Balfour: Correctional Services National Consultative Conference
Keynote address by Minister of Correctional Services Ngconde Balfour at the second National Consultative Conference of the Department of Correctional Services (DCS), East London
Programme Director
Commissioner of Correctional Services
Chief Deputy Commissioners
Members of the Senior Management Service
Ladies of Gentlemen
University of Western Cape’s Professor Chris Tapscott, who conducted a comparative analysis of public and private prisons in South Africa recently, made a profound statement that is of absolute significance to this gathering of senior managers over these two days. His assertion is that:
“Many of the best practices identified in state and private prisons were reflective of sound prison management practices rather than the availability of additional resources. Overwhelmingly the evidence of this investigation points to the fact that good prison governance is distinguished more by the quality of the leadership in place than the quality of facilities.”
Undeniably, resources required for optimum delivery on the department’s core mandate of contributing in building a secure, peaceful and safe society remain limited and it would take many years to close the gap. Depending on a person’s life outlook, a temptation to resign into passiveness, indignation and overall poor performance easily creeps in, with devastating effects on the organisation, its members, offenders and above all the safety of the public. We need to ensure a positive outlook of our members.
Fully aware of the challenges facing the delivery of Correctional Services in South Africa, Professor Tapscott further acknowledges that the leadership and management of Correctional Services hold the key to efforts of turning around the institution: A key for changing an organisation that is characterised by images of corruption, institutionalised violence, low staff morale and a string of other “negative” issues, to a people-centred correctional system that is the pride of our nation. We have chosen to ensure representation of all Area Commissioners, irrespective of their rank, at this Conference for a specific reason. Service delivery in correctional services takes place in our Management Areas, correctional centres and community corrections offices. Head Office must increasingly, as policy and procedure is consolidated, focus its role on supporting service delivery, supporting the operational management of the Department in the regions. This makes Area Commissioners, Heads of Correctional Centres and Community Corrections Offices and their teams the pistons of the engine of correctional services. I am sure we have all driven skorokoro cars with faulty piston rings and know the lack of power of that car – without the energy and drive of the pistons we will not achieve the excellence that we aim to deliver to the people of this country.
I cannot agree more with that assertion. Perhaps let me remind all of you that the people of South Africa won their freedom not by the amount of weapons and resources they had, but by their sheer commitment and absolute dedication to the cause of freedom, which translated into numerous strategies that were well integrated and managed. The freedom came, shocking many people, hence the widely used description of our transition as a miracle.
A defining character of that process was passion and love for freedom, whose motive forces were the masses of our people. Countless initiatives, innovative strategies and tactics – mini centres of excellence one could say - were generated, adopted and implemented. Because of a shared vision, these translated into a mass movement that by its sheer size was untameable by any means.
These efforts were driven by a commitment to build a united, non-racial, non-sexist, democratic and prosperous South Africa where all would enjoy a great quality of life.
After the 2004 general elections, on June 2005, the President assigned me to help steer the department t- to change it for the better - in its turn around journey ushered in during the consultation processes of the White Paper of Corrections. As Correctional Services we have committed ourselves to ‘spare no effort or courage’ to build a correctional system that is one of the best in the world in delivering service with a commitment to excellence and integrity.
This vision can only be realised when officials, various sectors of the civil society, our partners in all spheres of government from international forums to local governments, work side by side in trust. As the senior management you have an obligation to grasp and internalise the vision of the department, and then serve as agents of change to the members of DCS and all other partners.
When South Africans in Kliptown over 50 years ago said “imprisonment shall be only for serious crimes against the people, and shall aim at re-education, not vengeance”, little did we know that such a progressive position would be occupying such a strategic position in national and international discourse on prison reforms, as it does today. We have boldly committed ourselves to entrench that new ethos on the treatment of offenders in our constitution and the White Paper on Corrections.
Addressing the first National Consultative Conference in May 2005, I had said that Correctional Services officials need to think outside of the envelope. You need to foster better understanding of the department by the public. I had said that you need to communicate vertically and horizontally and define yourself positively and declare what kind of Correctional Services official do you want to be. Today I want to re-emphasise and reiterate all of those things I said in May 2005 in Cape Town. We need to build DCS as an employer of choice with professional ethics and stabilise management capacity. I also want to remind you all that in addressing the same conference, the Minister of Defence said working for correctional services is a calling; a calling to serve the needs of the people and to create a caring society.
He described an ideal correctional official as the one who actually serves even the most down trodden of our people in a humanising and empowering manner, as outlined in the Batho Pele principles.
I am glad to announce that a recently completed public perceptions survey reflected a changing institution that is recognised by many internal and external publics as making a mark despite challenges faced.
What is disheartening though is an observation that the middle management of DCS may probably be serving as inhibitors of information flow to and from the lower echelons of our administration. The report says:
“Job satisfaction received a high rating from the majority of staff surveyed, not withstanding concerns and criticisms raised. The Correctional Centre Officials (and Correctional Centre Senior Managers) were, on average, more satisfied with their jobs than Middle Management respondents” (DCS Public Perceptions Survey - August 2005).
A disturbing feature is that the middle management is the most critical layer in driving service delivery improvements, and with such a negative view, we should seek ways as the senior management to unblock the logjams.
I am told, by those who participated in the Asikhulume programme recordings last night, that the partners and communities are basically more ready than anticipated for engagement in building and strengthening partnerships, volunteer corps in the spirit of Letsema and Vukuzenzele, as well as family and community participation in the roll out of DCS programmes. Let me emphasise the role that local government should and can play in building our partnerships and in addressing social reintegration challenges. While on the subject of local government, let me also flag the need for us to prepare for the local government elections. I am told that the partnership between DCS and the IEC in the 2004 National Elections delivered all that can expected in a democracy – let us build on that to ensure no hiccups in the local government elections. Let us seize the opportunity in our respective areas to advance the cause.
The Cabinet Lekgotla and the Presidency have assigned certain key deliverables over the current medium term strategic framework to be achieved individually and collectively. These include:
* Leading and co-ordinating the national 16 Days of Activism on No Violence Against Women and Children Campaign to make it not just successful, but run effectively with participation of various stakeholders across the year.
* Rapid reduction of children awaiting trial in correctional centres. I am told progress is being made in that regard, but more is required especially in the light of court challenges by people claiming to be more concerned about the challenges than we are.
* Intensification of efforts to implement Batho Pele principles with strengthened internal communication, appropriate signage and name tagging of officials, retraining of frontline officials, elimination of tardiness through a public commitment to a service delivery charter of DCS, etc.
* Improving the efficiency and effectiveness of all platforms and methods aimed at optimising the respect and participation of victims in the delivery of correctional services, inter alia, the Correctional Supervision and Parole Boards as well as restorative justice programmes.
* Promotion of regional, African and international partnerships to enhance the transformation of the penal systems in order to contribute to Africa’s rebirth and in the creation of a better world order. In this regard, let me take the opportunity to congratulate our Commissioner, Linda Mti, on his election as the Vice President for Africa at the recent conference of the International Corrections and Prisons Association in Edinburgh. We need to applaud ourselves for this milestone achievement. This is yet another vote of confidence in South Africa’s role as a champion of the transformation of penal systems even beyond her borders.
* Intensification of our fight against fraud, corruption and unethical behaviour in general within the correctional system.
* Improvement and diversification of the department’s role in fighting poverty, underdevelopment and unemployment. In that regard I wish to also take my hat off the Free State management for a joint programme with Social Development and the local government to distribute food parcels to the most needy families of Xhariep municipality.
Good progress is being made in each one of the priority areas identified in the government programme of action, however because we believe you have a great potential to do much better to meet people’s need and aspirations, I implore you to spare no effort nor courage to ensure a better life for all.
As Tapscott outlines, your innovation can really make a difference if you think outside of an envelop in order to be able to see and seize all opportunities evolving around ourselves, while collectively confining threats to the minimum in our march to build a correctional system that is the envy of the world.
I am looking forward in the New Year to the introduction of national DCS excellence awards that will help in celebrating numerous pockets of excellence within our centres for the rest to emulate.
Note that with the will of our officials and partners behind our programmes nothing will be impossible, but without that will we will find it extremely difficult to succeed. You managers, hold the key, go and unlock DCS potential for excellent performance.
May your deliberations be great and fruitful for all to enjoy a great quality of life.
I thank you.
Issued by: Department of Correctional Services
21 November 2005
Source: Department of Correctional Services
Title: Balfour: Correctional Services National Consultative Conference
Keynote address by Minister of Correctional Services Ngconde Balfour at the second National Consultative Conference of the Department of Correctional Services (DCS), East London
Programme Director
Commissioner of Correctional Services
Chief Deputy Commissioners
Members of the Senior Management Service
Ladies of Gentlemen
University of Western Cape’s Professor Chris Tapscott, who conducted a comparative analysis of public and private prisons in South Africa recently, made a profound statement that is of absolute significance to this gathering of senior managers over these two days. His assertion is that:
“Many of the best practices identified in state and private prisons were reflective of sound prison management practices rather than the availability of additional resources. Overwhelmingly the evidence of this investigation points to the fact that good prison governance is distinguished more by the quality of the leadership in place than the quality of facilities.”
Undeniably, resources required for optimum delivery on the department’s core mandate of contributing in building a secure, peaceful and safe society remain limited and it would take many years to close the gap. Depending on a person’s life outlook, a temptation to resign into passiveness, indignation and overall poor performance easily creeps in, with devastating effects on the organisation, its members, offenders and above all the safety of the public. We need to ensure a positive outlook of our members.
Fully aware of the challenges facing the delivery of Correctional Services in South Africa, Professor Tapscott further acknowledges that the leadership and management of Correctional Services hold the key to efforts of turning around the institution: A key for changing an organisation that is characterised by images of corruption, institutionalised violence, low staff morale and a string of other “negative” issues, to a people-centred correctional system that is the pride of our nation. We have chosen to ensure representation of all Area Commissioners, irrespective of their rank, at this Conference for a specific reason. Service delivery in correctional services takes place in our Management Areas, correctional centres and community corrections offices. Head Office must increasingly, as policy and procedure is consolidated, focus its role on supporting service delivery, supporting the operational management of the Department in the regions. This makes Area Commissioners, Heads of Correctional Centres and Community Corrections Offices and their teams the pistons of the engine of correctional services. I am sure we have all driven skorokoro cars with faulty piston rings and know the lack of power of that car – without the energy and drive of the pistons we will not achieve the excellence that we aim to deliver to the people of this country.
I cannot agree more with that assertion. Perhaps let me remind all of you that the people of South Africa won their freedom not by the amount of weapons and resources they had, but by their sheer commitment and absolute dedication to the cause of freedom, which translated into numerous strategies that were well integrated and managed. The freedom came, shocking many people, hence the widely used description of our transition as a miracle.
A defining character of that process was passion and love for freedom, whose motive forces were the masses of our people. Countless initiatives, innovative strategies and tactics – mini centres of excellence one could say - were generated, adopted and implemented. Because of a shared vision, these translated into a mass movement that by its sheer size was untameable by any means.
These efforts were driven by a commitment to build a united, non-racial, non-sexist, democratic and prosperous South Africa where all would enjoy a great quality of life.
After the 2004 general elections, on June 2005, the President assigned me to help steer the department t- to change it for the better - in its turn around journey ushered in during the consultation processes of the White Paper of Corrections. As Correctional Services we have committed ourselves to ‘spare no effort or courage’ to build a correctional system that is one of the best in the world in delivering service with a commitment to excellence and integrity.
This vision can only be realised when officials, various sectors of the civil society, our partners in all spheres of government from international forums to local governments, work side by side in trust. As the senior management you have an obligation to grasp and internalise the vision of the department, and then serve as agents of change to the members of DCS and all other partners.
When South Africans in Kliptown over 50 years ago said “imprisonment shall be only for serious crimes against the people, and shall aim at re-education, not vengeance”, little did we know that such a progressive position would be occupying such a strategic position in national and international discourse on prison reforms, as it does today. We have boldly committed ourselves to entrench that new ethos on the treatment of offenders in our constitution and the White Paper on Corrections.
Addressing the first National Consultative Conference in May 2005, I had said that Correctional Services officials need to think outside of the envelope. You need to foster better understanding of the department by the public. I had said that you need to communicate vertically and horizontally and define yourself positively and declare what kind of Correctional Services official do you want to be. Today I want to re-emphasise and reiterate all of those things I said in May 2005 in Cape Town. We need to build DCS as an employer of choice with professional ethics and stabilise management capacity. I also want to remind you all that in addressing the same conference, the Minister of Defence said working for correctional services is a calling; a calling to serve the needs of the people and to create a caring society.
He described an ideal correctional official as the one who actually serves even the most down trodden of our people in a humanising and empowering manner, as outlined in the Batho Pele principles.
I am glad to announce that a recently completed public perceptions survey reflected a changing institution that is recognised by many internal and external publics as making a mark despite challenges faced.
What is disheartening though is an observation that the middle management of DCS may probably be serving as inhibitors of information flow to and from the lower echelons of our administration. The report says:
“Job satisfaction received a high rating from the majority of staff surveyed, not withstanding concerns and criticisms raised. The Correctional Centre Officials (and Correctional Centre Senior Managers) were, on average, more satisfied with their jobs than Middle Management respondents” (DCS Public Perceptions Survey - August 2005).
A disturbing feature is that the middle management is the most critical layer in driving service delivery improvements, and with such a negative view, we should seek ways as the senior management to unblock the logjams.
I am told, by those who participated in the Asikhulume programme recordings last night, that the partners and communities are basically more ready than anticipated for engagement in building and strengthening partnerships, volunteer corps in the spirit of Letsema and Vukuzenzele, as well as family and community participation in the roll out of DCS programmes. Let me emphasise the role that local government should and can play in building our partnerships and in addressing social reintegration challenges. While on the subject of local government, let me also flag the need for us to prepare for the local government elections. I am told that the partnership between DCS and the IEC in the 2004 National Elections delivered all that can expected in a democracy – let us build on that to ensure no hiccups in the local government elections. Let us seize the opportunity in our respective areas to advance the cause.
The Cabinet Lekgotla and the Presidency have assigned certain key deliverables over the current medium term strategic framework to be achieved individually and collectively. These include:
* Leading and co-ordinating the national 16 Days of Activism on No Violence Against Women and Children Campaign to make it not just successful, but run effectively with participation of various stakeholders across the year.
* Rapid reduction of children awaiting trial in correctional centres. I am told progress is being made in that regard, but more is required especially in the light of court challenges by people claiming to be more concerned about the challenges than we are.
* Intensification of efforts to implement Batho Pele principles with strengthened internal communication, appropriate signage and name tagging of officials, retraining of frontline officials, elimination of tardiness through a public commitment to a service delivery charter of DCS, etc.
* Improving the efficiency and effectiveness of all platforms and methods aimed at optimising the respect and participation of victims in the delivery of correctional services, inter alia, the Correctional Supervision and Parole Boards as well as restorative justice programmes.
* Promotion of regional, African and international partnerships to enhance the transformation of the penal systems in order to contribute to Africa’s rebirth and in the creation of a better world order. In this regard, let me take the opportunity to congratulate our Commissioner, Linda Mti, on his election as the Vice President for Africa at the recent conference of the International Corrections and Prisons Association in Edinburgh. We need to applaud ourselves for this milestone achievement. This is yet another vote of confidence in South Africa’s role as a champion of the transformation of penal systems even beyond her borders.
* Intensification of our fight against fraud, corruption and unethical behaviour in general within the correctional system.
* Improvement and diversification of the department’s role in fighting poverty, underdevelopment and unemployment. In that regard I wish to also take my hat off the Free State management for a joint programme with Social Development and the local government to distribute food parcels to the most needy families of Xhariep municipality.
Good progress is being made in each one of the priority areas identified in the government programme of action, however because we believe you have a great potential to do much better to meet people’s need and aspirations, I implore you to spare no effort nor courage to ensure a better life for all.
As Tapscott outlines, your innovation can really make a difference if you think outside of an envelop in order to be able to see and seize all opportunities evolving around ourselves, while collectively confining threats to the minimum in our march to build a correctional system that is the envy of the world.
I am looking forward in the New Year to the introduction of national DCS excellence awards that will help in celebrating numerous pockets of excellence within our centres for the rest to emulate.
Note that with the will of our officials and partners behind our programmes nothing will be impossible, but without that will we will find it extremely difficult to succeed. You managers, hold the key, go and unlock DCS potential for excellent performance.
May your deliberations be great and fruitful for all to enjoy a great quality of life.
I thank you.
Issued by: Department of Correctional Services
21 November 2005
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