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The DA welcomes Correctional Services Minister Ndebele’s announcement that it will be compulsory for all inmates to complete an Adult Basic Education Training (ABET) programme. Although his sentiment is correct, we must ask how the Minister intends to implement this.

At present, only about 10 800 of 167 819 inmates are enrolled in some form of education or skills training programme. This is 6% of the prison population and somehow the Minister believes that he will be able to increase this to 100% by next year.

Perhaps the Minister should focus on getting his house in order first before setting such a target.

The Department of Correctional Services (DCS) received yet another qualified audit, only achieved 47% of its targets in 2011/2012 and racked up a total of R71 million in fruitless and wasteful expenditure and R215.6 million in irregular expenditure. This is not a sign of a well-run department which can ensure that all inmates leave rehabilitated and with the skills they need to contribute to society.

During the last two weeks, the Portfolio Committee has heard evidence from the Department, from the Judicial Inspectorate for Correctional Services and from stakeholders that demonstrated a department in crisis and with a deep-seated culture of non-compliance and impunity. This is a department that cannot run a bath, far less a mass literacy programme.

This is the second announcement the Minister has made about educating inmates. The first was his ‘reading for rehabilitation’ programme and now all inmates must complete an ABET programme. Although we are pleased that he is paying more attention to providing inmates with skills, he needs to provide us with a concrete plan on how he intends on implementing this, including where he intends to source and adequately remunerate educators. Following his recent trip abroad, perhaps from Cuba?

The DCS occupies a crucial role in the criminal justice system. Unless it can correct offending behaviour and rehabilitate offenders, prisons will increasingly become revolving doors for ever-increasing numbers of more violent offenders.