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The Minister of Correctional Services, Nosiviwe Mapisa-Ngakula, has stated in response to a Democratic Alliance (DA) parliamentary question that 20 021 days have been lost to absenteeism in just five months.

The Minister admitted that 6488 officials had been recorded taking unauthorised leave between July and December 2009, with a staggering 20 021 days of unauthorised leave between them. This information confirms that the two shift system has been a failure in increasing staff at our correctional centres. The two shift system that was introduced last year consists of employees working 12 hour shifts, meaning that at any one time, only 50% of staff are present at facilities. This system has been counterproductive and led to vast absenteeism because the shifts are too long.

South Africa's correctional centres are already under enormous strain as a result of staff shortages, especially in the sections where prisoners are guarded. During oversight visits, I witnessed staff shortages at every single facility that I visited.

I will be writing to the Minister to ask her to deal with these issues immediately and I will be proposing the following:

The suspension of the two shift system
That all vacancies are filled without delay, especially those vacancies for the offender sections
That the migration of officials from Head Office to Correctional Centre level be continued and fast-tracked
That those officials working in administrative duties that have applied to work in sections with inmates be moved over as a matter of urgency