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An average of two offenders released under President Zuma’s special remissions are rearrested every day. Reports this morning indicate that 68 individuals are back in prison since the process began 35 days ago. At the current rate a conservative estimate of 150 individuals will be behind bars again before the process ends on 23 July.

I will request an urgent meeting with the Minister of Correctional Services Sibusiso Ndebele to discuss the DA’s concerns about the special remissions process and the high rates of reoffending. Government’s approach to this has been severely lacking.

It is deeply problematic that the Department of Correctional Services is asking the South African public to “embrace these ex-prisoners because they have been rehabilitated”. The remissions and release process is clearly flawed because insufficient care is taken to mitigate the risk of re-offending and to assist in the rehabilitation and reintegration of offenders into society.

During my visit to Pollsmoor last month it became apparent that the pre-release programme is inadequate. The programme needs to be far more holistic, with a greater focus on rehabilitation and reintegration.

Minister Ndebele must take charge of this process and effectively address the concerns and shortcomings highlighted by the DA. He must also instruct the department to stop releasing any further offenders until it is satisfied that people are ready to be reintegrated into society and won’t reoffend.

I will also raise this matter in the portfolio committee tomorrow morning reiterating our calls for a full briefing from the Department on the special remissions process, the pre-release rehabilitation and reintegration programme and the details of reoffending.

The premature release of un-rehabilitated prisoners is a danger to the public. Prisoners should be properly rehabilitated before they are allowed to walk the streets again. If they are not, they are likely to reoffend and end up behind bars again.

The continued lack of a clear policy framework and the absence of concrete mechanisms to address reoffending show that at no point has the safety and security of South Africans been a priority for government.