Date: 20/06/2003
Source: Department of Correctional Services
Title: Mti: Opening of Corrections sub-office for Mamelodi, Eersterus & Silverton


WELCOME ADDRESS BY THE NATIONAL COMMISSIONER OF CORRECTIONAL SERVICES, MR. LINDA MTI, ON THE OCCASION OF THE OPENING CEREMONY OF THE PRETORIA COMMUNITY CORRECTIONS SUB-OFFICE FOR MAMELODI, EERSTERUS AND SILVERTON COMMUNITIES, 20 June 2003

Programme Director
Ms Nomvula Mokonyane, MEC for Safety and Security for Gauteng province;
Mr. MC Mokoka, Councilor in the Tshwane Metropolitan (Representative of the Mayor);
Ms M van der Walt, Chief Magistrate for Pretoria North;
Mr. Z. Modise, Provincial Commissioner for Gauteng;
Mr. Bheki Ndebele, Area Manager of Pretoria Management Area
Ladies and gentlemen

It gives me great pleasure to welcome everyone during a ceremony to mark the opening of yet another community corrections sub-office within the Tshwane Metropolitan City.

Back in 1991 the Department introduced Correctional Supervision in the Magisterial Districts of Pretoria and Wonderboom with the offices situated at the department's Head Office This provided courts of law with an alternative sentencing option for those convicted for minor acts of criminality. This option was further introduced to other magisterial districts in subsequent years. The ever-increasing number of offenders under community corrections and parole supervision necessitated the opening of the Soshanguve sub-office in June 2001.

The Pretoria Community Corrections office handles up to 505 probationers and parolees while the Soshanguve office handles 351.

The sub-office we are opening today is meant to serve the North Eastern districts of greater Tswhane metropolitan. These include Mamelodi, Eersterus and Silverton. This sub-office will have a case load of 360 persons under community corrections and parole supervision.

The Pretoria Community Corrections office has gone a long way in establishing sound working relations within the various communities they serve and we are looking forward to cultivate similar relations within the new communities we will be serving.

Community Corrections form an integral part of the Department's new strategic direction. As some of you might be aware the department has been engaged in a business re-engineering process designed to focus our operations and systems on the rehabilitation of offenders. As part of that process we have developed a range of service delivery objectives that include improved Security, Offender Development, Offender Correction, Offender Care, Offender Maintenance and After Care.

After Care as a service deliverable for the department will concern itself with the effective reintegration of offenders in their communities of origin. As a department we are painfully aware that on our own we cannot effect successful community reintegration until and unless communities take an active interest in matters of corrections in general and community corrections in particular. This is because it is these very communities that reject ex-offenders and thus starting a vicious cycle of a life of crime.

We would like to make a special appeal to communities to take an active part on matters of corrections. This they could do by ensuring that corrections does in deed take place within communities and community corrections offices such as the one we are opening today play a facilitative role in the whole process. But it is important that the process is, in the first instance, owned and driven by communities themselves.

Community corrections is also important for the department in so far as it ensures that those charged with minor crimes and especially young people do not go to prison. Community corrections, as an alternative to imprisonment, provide courts of law with an alternative sentencing option in ensuring that family life is not unnecessarily disrupted and the individual concerned can continue with his responsibilities to his family. To the extent that courts of law engages meaningfully with this alternative sentencing option the level of overcrowding in our prisons could be reduced drastically.

In this regard we are also extending a passionate appeal to the judiciary to seriously consider this option and thus reduce prison overcrowding so that the department could proceed with the rehabilitation of those whose behaviour needs correction.

With these few words I would like to welcome everyone present today in joining us to mark the opening of the Pretoria community corrections sub-office.

Thank you.

Source: Department of Correctional Services (http://www.dcs.gov.za)