Date: 05/08/2004
Source: Department of Correctional Services
Title: L Mti: Departmental Women's Day celebration
COMMISSIONER'S SPEAKING NOTES AT THE DEPARTMENTAL WOMEN'S DAY CELEBRATIONS AT TSHWANE MANAGEMENT AREA, 5 August 2004
Minister
Deputy Minister
Program Director
Colleagues from partner government departments
Members of partner NGOs and tertiary institutions
DCS Management and staff
Inmates
Ladies and gentlemen, colleagues
Most importantly, women of South Africa. This is a very special moment for the department of Correctional Services.
It is special because the department is celebrating women's day only a stone's throw from that historic site to which our pioneering mothers marched on 9 August 1956 to demand the abolition of the pass system and restoration of the dignity of the oppressed people of South Africa.
It is also special because the celebrations are taking place at the very place where women who participated in protest actions against apartheid laws were incarcerated by the repressive apartheid government.
What is particularly heartening however is that today's celebrations are hosted by the very first female Deputy Minister of Correctional Services. This historic sense of occasion is not lost to us.
It is also the first time that the personnel of Head Office, Regional Offices and the management areas around the Tshwane get an opportunity to meet their Minister and Deputy Minister in a gathering of this nature. On their behalf I take this opportunity to welcome the Minister and Deputy Minister to the department once again and express our joint appreciation for the good work they are doing to improve the image of the Department of Correctional Services. We are aware of course that it is not the first time that they interact with members in this area. The Deputy Minister has already visited the Baviaanspoort and Emthonjeni Correctional centres. The Minister has already visited Tshwane management area and the other day he conducted an impromptu meet and greet walk-about at Head Office.
Our members have requested me to inform both of you that they are truly humbled and inspired by your continued interaction with them.
These celebrations take place as we prepare to implement the South African White Paper on Corrections. Chapter 3 of the White Paper identifies corrections as a societal responsibility and therefore calls on society and families to get more involved in correction and development of children. As we celebrate women's day, we make a special appeal to mothers to help make Chapter 3 of our White Paper a reality because, after all, it is a universally established fact that mothers are the best nurturers of children.
This year's event also takes place within the theme of celebrating ten years of democracy. This is a moment to reflect on the steps we have taken to build gender equality in our country and the department. We need to conduct a candid evaluation of whether we have done enough to empower our female employees and improve the power relations between men and women.
Our department has a long history of militarism. This was a male dominated, chauvinistic organization where it was unthinkable to recruit significant numbers of female custodial officers, let alone appointing them to positions of authority. We are proud to announce today that we have started to reverse this backward trend. (Statistics will be provided by the Deputy Minister).
Already we are getting reports that some of our best Area Commissioners and Heads of Correctional Centres are women. At the risk of being accused of conducting a public performance evaluation, I would like to single out Mrs Gladys Makaute, the Head of Johannesburg Maximum Juvenile section and Mrs Johanna Classen, the Head of Dwaarsrivier correctional centre for their outstanding work in managing their correctional centres against the odds. I want to emphasise however that our understanding of women's empowerment is not limited to SMS appointments. We are equally concerned about the development and career pathing of women below SMS. We also want to ensure that our policies, regulations and programs are responsive to the needs of women.
My concern however is that our female staff members themselves do not seem to be organised. The reports I receive when I visit management areas are silent on pertinent problems that affect women. It is not my responsibility to organise you but I think it would be helpful if women at DCS had a forum that advises management on the outstanding policy changes that need our attention.
For us at Correctional Services however, women's empowerment cannot be limited to the development of our staff members. We have a legal obligation to our primary clients, the women who are incarcerated in our correctional centres. We are committed to ensuring we expose them to skills and development opportunities that will enable them to come out of these correctional centres as model citizens who are ready to make a positive contribution to society. We are committed to improving on the conditions of women in detention, especially mothers with babies. We have noted the issues that were raised by Ms Olga Mtheleni, the inmate who spoke before me. I want to assure Olga and other female inmates that we shall do more to attend to the issues she has raised today.
To the men gathered here, members and inmates. I want to remind you that this is your day too. You must use this day to reflect on what you as an individual can do to contribute to gender equality. To those of you who have been arrested of abusing your partners, I hope our intervention programs and the messages you receive today will result in your own Damascan experience where you will resolve that from now on you will become a new person who respects and honours our daughters, sisters and mothers.
This message also goes to those abusers who have not yet been arrested of their crime. Go home and ask the Lord to help you change your ways.
Later in the year the Deputy Minister will launch the Campaign of 16 Days of No Violence Against Women and Children. This very important campaign will, from this year onwards be hosted by the department of Correctional Services through our Deputy Minster. This places a special responsibility on our members to lead by example.
In conclusion, we are proud to announce that the departmental celebrations to honour women will continue in the regions throughout the month of August. We also take this opportunity to declare that never again shall our institutions be used as instruments of oppression. We shall continue with efforts to ensure that these institutions are converted into centres of hope, places of new beginnings.
Malibongwe
Issued by: Department of Correctional Services
5 August 2004
Source: Department of Correctional Services
Source: Department of Correctional Services
Title: L Mti: Departmental Women's Day celebration
COMMISSIONER'S SPEAKING NOTES AT THE DEPARTMENTAL WOMEN'S DAY CELEBRATIONS AT TSHWANE MANAGEMENT AREA, 5 August 2004
Minister
Deputy Minister
Program Director
Colleagues from partner government departments
Members of partner NGOs and tertiary institutions
DCS Management and staff
Inmates
Ladies and gentlemen, colleagues
Most importantly, women of South Africa. This is a very special moment for the department of Correctional Services.
It is special because the department is celebrating women's day only a stone's throw from that historic site to which our pioneering mothers marched on 9 August 1956 to demand the abolition of the pass system and restoration of the dignity of the oppressed people of South Africa.
It is also special because the celebrations are taking place at the very place where women who participated in protest actions against apartheid laws were incarcerated by the repressive apartheid government.
What is particularly heartening however is that today's celebrations are hosted by the very first female Deputy Minister of Correctional Services. This historic sense of occasion is not lost to us.
It is also the first time that the personnel of Head Office, Regional Offices and the management areas around the Tshwane get an opportunity to meet their Minister and Deputy Minister in a gathering of this nature. On their behalf I take this opportunity to welcome the Minister and Deputy Minister to the department once again and express our joint appreciation for the good work they are doing to improve the image of the Department of Correctional Services. We are aware of course that it is not the first time that they interact with members in this area. The Deputy Minister has already visited the Baviaanspoort and Emthonjeni Correctional centres. The Minister has already visited Tshwane management area and the other day he conducted an impromptu meet and greet walk-about at Head Office.
Our members have requested me to inform both of you that they are truly humbled and inspired by your continued interaction with them.
These celebrations take place as we prepare to implement the South African White Paper on Corrections. Chapter 3 of the White Paper identifies corrections as a societal responsibility and therefore calls on society and families to get more involved in correction and development of children. As we celebrate women's day, we make a special appeal to mothers to help make Chapter 3 of our White Paper a reality because, after all, it is a universally established fact that mothers are the best nurturers of children.
This year's event also takes place within the theme of celebrating ten years of democracy. This is a moment to reflect on the steps we have taken to build gender equality in our country and the department. We need to conduct a candid evaluation of whether we have done enough to empower our female employees and improve the power relations between men and women.
Our department has a long history of militarism. This was a male dominated, chauvinistic organization where it was unthinkable to recruit significant numbers of female custodial officers, let alone appointing them to positions of authority. We are proud to announce today that we have started to reverse this backward trend. (Statistics will be provided by the Deputy Minister).
Already we are getting reports that some of our best Area Commissioners and Heads of Correctional Centres are women. At the risk of being accused of conducting a public performance evaluation, I would like to single out Mrs Gladys Makaute, the Head of Johannesburg Maximum Juvenile section and Mrs Johanna Classen, the Head of Dwaarsrivier correctional centre for their outstanding work in managing their correctional centres against the odds. I want to emphasise however that our understanding of women's empowerment is not limited to SMS appointments. We are equally concerned about the development and career pathing of women below SMS. We also want to ensure that our policies, regulations and programs are responsive to the needs of women.
My concern however is that our female staff members themselves do not seem to be organised. The reports I receive when I visit management areas are silent on pertinent problems that affect women. It is not my responsibility to organise you but I think it would be helpful if women at DCS had a forum that advises management on the outstanding policy changes that need our attention.
For us at Correctional Services however, women's empowerment cannot be limited to the development of our staff members. We have a legal obligation to our primary clients, the women who are incarcerated in our correctional centres. We are committed to ensuring we expose them to skills and development opportunities that will enable them to come out of these correctional centres as model citizens who are ready to make a positive contribution to society. We are committed to improving on the conditions of women in detention, especially mothers with babies. We have noted the issues that were raised by Ms Olga Mtheleni, the inmate who spoke before me. I want to assure Olga and other female inmates that we shall do more to attend to the issues she has raised today.
To the men gathered here, members and inmates. I want to remind you that this is your day too. You must use this day to reflect on what you as an individual can do to contribute to gender equality. To those of you who have been arrested of abusing your partners, I hope our intervention programs and the messages you receive today will result in your own Damascan experience where you will resolve that from now on you will become a new person who respects and honours our daughters, sisters and mothers.
This message also goes to those abusers who have not yet been arrested of their crime. Go home and ask the Lord to help you change your ways.
Later in the year the Deputy Minister will launch the Campaign of 16 Days of No Violence Against Women and Children. This very important campaign will, from this year onwards be hosted by the department of Correctional Services through our Deputy Minster. This places a special responsibility on our members to lead by example.
In conclusion, we are proud to announce that the departmental celebrations to honour women will continue in the regions throughout the month of August. We also take this opportunity to declare that never again shall our institutions be used as instruments of oppression. We shall continue with efforts to ensure that these institutions are converted into centres of hope, places of new beginnings.
Malibongwe
Issued by: Department of Correctional Services
5 August 2004
Source: Department of Correctional Services
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