Speech of Correctional Services Minister, Ngconde Balfour at the official opening of festive season security campaign, Operation Vala, Kokstad C-Max Correctional Centre

Programme director
Distinguished guests
Ladies and gentlemen

We are gathered her today as partners in the criminal justice system with representatives of non-governmental organisations and as members of the community to bear witness to two important developments that define the character of our Department of Correctional Services.

First we witnessed this morning the transfer of the last ten of 200 most dangerous offenders from various maximum correctional centres across the country to this Super Maximum Correctional Centre we regard as most secured facility in South Africa, Kokstad C-Max Correctional Centre. The transfer of these 200 dangerous offenders actually is a testimony to our no-nonsense approach to hardened criminals who apparently have nothing to loose, are daring and would spare no effort in making lives of our officials, other offenders and even law abiding citizens miserable.

Secondly we are symbolically kicking off a special festive season security campaign called "Operation Vala". This campaign was conceptualised and implemented as a response to patterns of crime committed by offenders within our system as well those seeking to assist the commitment of these crimes from outside of our facilities. We have conclusive evidence that there is heightened effort to escape from our facilities during festive season. We do ongoing quarterly analysis of trends, records of compliance with policies and procedures, identification of threats and institution of appropriate responses to these threats. Besides greater tendency for offenders to use all in their power to escape during the festive season, some institutional challenges are experienced, as a number of officials need to take a break to replenish.

Programme director, honoured guests, ladies and gentlemen we need to understand that we have a multi-pronged strategy for dealing with hardened criminals who pose serious danger to society on one hand and those who just erred in their lives and therefore deserve a second chance in life on the other hand. During the corrections week campaign we highlighted our rehabilitation and offender development strategies and programmes. We showcased our successes which have begun to work positively towards the realisation of our ideal of a rehabilitation-centred correctional system. Our conviction is to protect the next victim of crime that could be perpetrated by a released un-rehabilitated offender. We seek to achieve this through safe and human custody, correction of the offending behaviour, rehabilitation and social re-integration of offenders.

I need to reiterate the fact that, we are not at all naïve to the fact that some criminals' anti-social characters are not fit for rehabilitation and development programmes and therefore need to be dealt with as such. The Kokstad Correctional Centre represents the best facility we have as a country for keeping "oonjandini", the worst criminals this country has produced. Today's gathering is therefore a demonstration of how tough we can be and we are on crime.

This facility is what we call a closed maximum security centre which is designed to break the back of hardened criminals as a critical intervention to modify their undesirable behaviour, with those responsive to our interventions graduating to move back to open maximum security centres. Those without a sustained and visible behavioural change during each one of the three phases we put them through in this centre, remain in this centre. Today, we concluded a process of sending 200 additional dangerous offenders to this centre who include murderers, rapists and habitual aggressive and violent criminals. Scores of women, children, the elderly and other vulnerable sectors of the society are reeling from wounds and scars effected by these heartless offenders.

The transfers will increase the current occupation of the facility from 25 percent to 39 percent with plans afoot to address infrastructure limitations such as water and electricity in collaboration with the Department of Public Works and Sisonke District Municipality. The challenges of limited water and electricity supply to this centre is an example what ordinary citizens of Kokstad are experiencing and therefore no unilateral solution catering for offenders only, will have any moral and rational base. I have been briefed on the progress made in this regard. Although I would wish to see acceleration of these interventions, I am happy with the progress made thus far.

Definitely these 200 dangerous offenders, some of whom are daring multi-murderers and rapists who would spare no one's life in their quest for "pseudo and short-lived freedom", have no chance of ever escaping from this centre, we are tightening the "security screws" throughout our correctional centres. Over the past three years, Operation Vala has ensured a real turn of the tide in terms of escapes during the festive season. We started in Zonderwater after two attempted escapes that left two offenders dead and one of our officials maimed in 2005. We opened the campaign in Mdantsane in November 2006 also registering great results, and I am absolutely certain that the overwhelming majority of our dedicated and selfless officials will ensure that we outperform ourselves again this festive season.

From today, 27 November 2007, up to 15 January 2008 we will step up security in all our facilities with more limitations on offender movement, bringing of food parcels and other goods into our centres by families, conducting of impromptu and unannounced searches and seizures of illegal substances in cells while also shifting of activities to indoor operations, sporting activities and low risk operations. This campaign has contributed significantly in achieving historically low escapes rates over the past two financial years and the reduction of escapes by 93 percent over the past ten years. The new lowest target of 94 escapes in the previous financial year is a very difficult one to beat, but indications of escapes from the beginning of this financial year to date compared to the same period in the 2006/07 financial year shows clearly that we can achieve even better this year. I implore our officials who have carried their responsibility with integrity and absolute commitment to excellence to do as we have grown to expect of them, nothing else but excellence even during these remaining months of the financial year.

Invariably these special measures will cause some inconveniences not just to offenders but to many families and loved ones who would wish to spend more time and share goods during this period of good will. We would therefore appeal to all those to be adversely affected to bear with us, because the objectives of these interventions are for a greater common good, a safer and a more secure South Africa where all including women and children can enjoy a better quality of life.

We know that there may be a small minority of unscrupulous officials who themselves may be criminals in brown uniforms, who would sacrifice these noble goals of a safer and secure South Africa on the altar of greed and "quick buck". Let them be warned that their days are numbered, as they will not only be investigated, disciplined and dismissed but will be criminally prosecuted and swap their brown uniforms for the orange ones.

The White Paper on Corrections in South Africa clearly states that "a comprehensive security strategy is a prerequisite for correction and rehabilitation" and therefore compromising security could render delivery on our core business untenable. We regard strengthening of security as basic in correctional services, hence the current rollout of minimum security standards policy and procedures right across the country. In fact, currently we are rolling out about R1 billion worth of state of the art security systems which include biometric access control with cameras and monitors as well as high security fencing with motion detectors as well as cameras and monitors. This programme is part of building a comprehensive and integrated security system over the medium term strategic framework which will substantially improve our facilities to effectively deal with increasing numbers of aggressive and violence offenders incarcerated in our centres.

Programme director, honoured guests, ladies and gentlemen I also wish to state unequivocally that correctional services alone can never achieve the ideals this country has outlined in the Constitution, legislation, policies and programmes aimed at building a prosperous and a safer South Africa. Last month we visited small correctional centres in Northern Cape which are surrounded by small communities like Vanrhynsdorp and Calvinia, where zero escapes were registered over the past five to seven years. In terms of our officials, one critical variable that contributed to this is how those local and well-knit communities play a role in re-arresting escapees and bringing them back to our facilities. This is a model to be seriously considered and emulated by even the more complex metropolitan communities. These communities need to take full responsibility, not just for correcting the offending behaviour before youngsters enter the criminal justice system, but should participate effectively in rehabilitation and social re-integration of offenders.

One important message we need to use as the basis for our collective ownership of corrections is that, as society we are accountable for producing deviants and social misfits in our home, families and communities. Your correctional system needs you. Do not sit on the sidelines and throw stones, be part of building a caring and effective corrections system we can all be proud of.

In conclusion, programme director; allow me to call on all our correctional centres to take all necessary steps to ensure effective and successful implementation of Operation Vala. A survey conducted by a Cape Town based academic showed that with effective management, a lot more can be achieved with limited resources. In short the most critical variable in building an effective correctional system is your human-power which needs to be fully harnessed during this festive season and beyond. I expect to be constantly briefed on developments during this period. You carry our hopes, and I know you will not disappoint us.

Together lets get tough on crime because our society deserved a better and a safer environment.

I thank you.

Enquiries:
Manelisi Wolela
Cell: 083 626 0304

Issued by: Department of Correctional Services
27 November 2007