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The Community Corrections Branch of the Department of Correctional Services (DCS) in Johannesburg has been locked out of their offices due to a failure to pay rent for the past three years. This shows a clear lack of management on the part of DCS.

According to reports, the Department owes R2 million in rent for the Community Corrections offices in Johannesburg and have now been locked out. The Department also reportedly took over two extra floors in the building without permission.

Furthermore, the fact that they have been locked out of their offices means that hundreds of parolees and probationers could abscond or violate their parole/probation for no fault of their own.

The parole officers have now moved temporarily to Johannesburg Prison.

The Correctional Services regional commissioner, Zacharia Modise, has claimed that all parolees have been notified that the office has been closed. If the DCS cannot even manage a lease agreement, the DA finds it highly unlikely that they could have managed to inform every single parolee that they needed to report elsewhere.

I will be submitting questions to the Minister of Correctional Services to determine the following:

• The number of Community Corrections offices which have outstanding rent and how much;
• why rent has not been paid in each case;
• the number of parolees and probationers who did not report to the Johannesburg Prison due to this mismanagement by the department; and
• how the department plans to ensure that this does not happen again.

This shows a clear lack of management by the DCS. If they cannot even handle the simple task of paying rent, how will they handle their ‘Reading for Redemption’ project or other rehabilitation programmes.