Date: 06/06/2003
Source: Department of Correctional Services
Title: Skosana: Free State Winners' Gala Evening
KEYNOTE ADDRESS BY THE MINISTER OF CORRECTIONAL SERVICES, MR BEN M SKOSANA, MP, AT THE FREE STATE WINNERS' GALA EVENING, BACKSTAGE, Sand Du Plessis Theatre, Bloemfontein, 6 June 2003
Programme Director
Premier of the Free State, Mme Winkie Direko
Members of Parliament Present, Mr Dennis Bloem
Acting MEC for Safety and Security, Mr Malebo
The Mayor of Mangaung, Mr Pappie Mokoena
Councillor of Mangaung, Mr G Lefo
National Commissioner, Mr Linda Mti
Provincial Commissioner of the Free State, Mr Willem Damons
Management and Staff of Correctional Services
Ladies and Gentlemen
It is a source of great pleasure for me today to address you on this joyous occasion when we recognise the achievement of those men and women among us who accepted that no challenge is too great to stop them from advancing towards perfection and the complete attainment of their objectives.
The awards which some of you will be receiving tonight should be seen as a recognition of your outstanding achievements in the various fields and as a contribution towards an effective correctional system in our country.
The honour of receiving such awards as you will be receiving today is shared not only by yourselves as recipients, but also by your families and friends as well as your colleagues at work. This also makes us proud in the midst of negative perceptions about the work that you are doing as Correctional Officials.
You were able to rise like a Phoenix from the unfortunate incidents of Grootvlei which fixed the eyes of the world on us for the wrong reasons. The fact that you have resurrected your spirits and turned yourselves around is an indication of how indefatigable your resolve is to rise above the challenges that will always plague your world.
It is encouraging to note that occasions of this nature take place in all Provinces with the aim of encouraging and motivating our staff members by acknowledging their achievements outside the conventional performance evaluation system. Prestigious occasions of this nature not only promote excellent service delivery within Correctional Services but also inculcate a sense of pride amongst those associated with this Department.
Apart from putting our stamp of recognition on our achievers, we wish to encourage those who did not make it this time to try harder next time, but it does not mean that you have failed to do your job.
I believe that it is because these awards are not given on a rotational basis, but given to those who surpassed the set criteria and according to the judgement of the adjudicators. We are therefore appealing for objectivity, transparency and fairness from the judges.
Tonight's occasion and the quality of this event should indicate to other Departments as well as to our stakeholders, the manner in which we treat our achievers whose performance is a positive reflection of the operations of this Department.
The awards are intended to motivate all the staff members of the department and to offer an opportunity to those who excelled in the performance of their duties to celebrate their achievements without having to think about the stressful work environment that they have to face daily. The awards create an environment for constructive competition in the delivery of services.
However, it is important for managers to note that individuals are motivated by different stimuli to give the best of their performance. This therefore presents managers with the challenge to empower their personnel and to create an environment conducive to the enhancement of the performance of their staff.
The Department of Correctional Services, along with Government, faces the key challenge of engaging the community at large on the Department's view of rehabilitation in order for the public to understand that rehabilitation and humane treatment of detainees and offenders are essential for social crime prevention.
In this regard, our Communication strategy must be designed to share information with the general public, to take the debate into correctional facilities, to reach all members of the Department and to reach out to relevant Government Departments.
Our greatest challenge lies in the effective implementation of the new service delivery programmes outlined in the Strategic Plan for 2003 to 2006.
It would therefore be imperative to review our categories and criteria to be in line with the new direction without undermining the value of the current processes.
The South African correctional system is an integral part of the country's criminal justice system and requires an effective integrated justice approach for service delivery on the Department's core mandate. The enforcement of court sentences alone is not enough to ensure attitudinal, cognitive and behavioural change on the part of prisoners. Systematic efforts must be made to ensure the rehabilitation of offenders.
Our partners in the Criminal Justice System will have to embrace the principles of Restorative Justice and our Community Corrections system in considering alternative sentencing options as opposed to imprisonment.
I believe that Correctional Services is geared towards the encouragement and enforcement of constitutional values. As such the role of a code of ethics for offenders that can both inform what the Department expects of them in a correctional environment and what society anticipates them to learn through the rehabilitation process is essential.
Government's most important task has been to build a public service capable of meeting the challenge of "Batho Pele" and improving the delivery of public services to the citizens of South Africa.
Access to decent public services is no longer a privilege to be enjoyed by a small sector of the community, it is now the rightful expectation of all citizens, especially those previously disadvantaged.
In an attempt to respond to the service delivery challenges facing the Government, the Department went through a lot of processes of change and transformation. Some of the initiatives were intended to change the culture and practices that developed over many years, hence any attempt to change them poses itself as a challenge.
It is important to note that all these processes have now dove-tailed into the restructuring and transformation process that the Department is going through.
This process came as a result of a long period of negotiations between Government as employer and employee organisations which led to the signing of Resolution 7 of 2002 in the Public Service Co-ordinating Bargaining Council (PSCBC). The process intends to give impetus to the enhancement of service delivery in the public Service as a whole by ensuring that people with the relevant experience, knowledge and skills are placed in positions where they would function effectively.
To illustrate what I have just said to you, I would like to quote what the President said in answering a question in Parliament yesterday. "Our aim is to ensure that the Public Service has sufficient capacity in terms of numbers and requisite skills, to deliver on government's programme of action. In this regard, the principles underpinning processes in terms of resolution 7 of 2002 were, amongst others, to:
* Improve delivery of services to the community
* Enhance productivity and performance of the public service
* Promote good governance values amongst public servants
* Advance representivity and equity in the public service
* Improve the skills base of the Public Service
* Enhance greater equity in distribution of incomes and wealth"
This places a greater responsibility on managers to be considerate to individual staff members with peculiar circumstances without stifling the effective implementation of the process.
It is also imperative that in the process of matching and placing personnel, managers do not undermine the Constitutional imperative of creating a department that is broadly representative of the demographics of this country, through the Affirmative Action programme of Government. I believe that this Department achieved tremendous progress in this regard and this needs to be maintained and supported by relevant training.
Equally, we expect all staff members and employee organisations to support the restructuring process and co-operate with the Commissioner, Provincial Commissioners and the management teams in the implementation of Resolution 7 of 2002. I am certain that if the process is handled properly, it would benefit everybody, particularly the offenders and the community.
Mechanisms must be established to deal with the unintended outcomes of the restructuring process. Due to uncertainties associated with any change process, these outcomes manifest themselves in various forms that may lead to perceptions from different quarters.
Government therefore expects that this process should be handled with utmost care and consideration for issues that would impact negatively on the morale and functioning of the Department and the Public Service in general. It is expected that the process should be consultative, transparent and fair.
I have advised the Commissioner to establish a structure that would operate like an Ombudsman to audit and resolve the various concerns and representations raised by staff members who have raised objections to their placement.
This structure will afford individuals to do verbal representations to support their objections. It is my appeal that the whole restructuring and transformation process should not just be a mechanical exercise that would leave us with unhappy workers. It is a source of great pride for me to be in the midst of men and women of such distinguished characters within the Department. Your proven ability to rise to the challenge posed by the problems in your careers will always serve as a source of great inspiration to your colleagues in this Department and other Government Departments as I said before.
In conclusion, I would like to express my sincere thanks to Ms Winkie Direko, the Premier of the Free State, and the Free State Provincial Government for the support we continue to enjoy as a result of our association with you. You were with us and encouraged us when we were ridiculed by the media and other quarters as a result of the well-known events which took place in Grootvlei last year. We were able to go through that situation and it is important for us that we meet here today under different, and indeed happier circumstances.
I would further like to express my profound gratitude and thanks to all who found the time to be with us tonight as we celebrate and rejoice with those of our colleagues who have excelled in their work. It is a challenge to everyone to take that extra mile in the performance of their duties in turning the tide against violence and crime in our country.
This is in line with the President's statement that "The tide has turned. The people's contract for a better tomorrow is taking shape".
God Bless South Africa
God Bless the Free State, and
God Bless Correctional Services,
I thank you
Source: Department of Correctional Services (http://www.dcs.gov.za)
6 June 2003
Source: Department of Correctional Services
Title: Skosana: Free State Winners' Gala Evening
KEYNOTE ADDRESS BY THE MINISTER OF CORRECTIONAL SERVICES, MR BEN M SKOSANA, MP, AT THE FREE STATE WINNERS' GALA EVENING, BACKSTAGE, Sand Du Plessis Theatre, Bloemfontein, 6 June 2003
Programme Director
Premier of the Free State, Mme Winkie Direko
Members of Parliament Present, Mr Dennis Bloem
Acting MEC for Safety and Security, Mr Malebo
The Mayor of Mangaung, Mr Pappie Mokoena
Councillor of Mangaung, Mr G Lefo
National Commissioner, Mr Linda Mti
Provincial Commissioner of the Free State, Mr Willem Damons
Management and Staff of Correctional Services
Ladies and Gentlemen
It is a source of great pleasure for me today to address you on this joyous occasion when we recognise the achievement of those men and women among us who accepted that no challenge is too great to stop them from advancing towards perfection and the complete attainment of their objectives.
The awards which some of you will be receiving tonight should be seen as a recognition of your outstanding achievements in the various fields and as a contribution towards an effective correctional system in our country.
The honour of receiving such awards as you will be receiving today is shared not only by yourselves as recipients, but also by your families and friends as well as your colleagues at work. This also makes us proud in the midst of negative perceptions about the work that you are doing as Correctional Officials.
You were able to rise like a Phoenix from the unfortunate incidents of Grootvlei which fixed the eyes of the world on us for the wrong reasons. The fact that you have resurrected your spirits and turned yourselves around is an indication of how indefatigable your resolve is to rise above the challenges that will always plague your world.
It is encouraging to note that occasions of this nature take place in all Provinces with the aim of encouraging and motivating our staff members by acknowledging their achievements outside the conventional performance evaluation system. Prestigious occasions of this nature not only promote excellent service delivery within Correctional Services but also inculcate a sense of pride amongst those associated with this Department.
Apart from putting our stamp of recognition on our achievers, we wish to encourage those who did not make it this time to try harder next time, but it does not mean that you have failed to do your job.
I believe that it is because these awards are not given on a rotational basis, but given to those who surpassed the set criteria and according to the judgement of the adjudicators. We are therefore appealing for objectivity, transparency and fairness from the judges.
Tonight's occasion and the quality of this event should indicate to other Departments as well as to our stakeholders, the manner in which we treat our achievers whose performance is a positive reflection of the operations of this Department.
The awards are intended to motivate all the staff members of the department and to offer an opportunity to those who excelled in the performance of their duties to celebrate their achievements without having to think about the stressful work environment that they have to face daily. The awards create an environment for constructive competition in the delivery of services.
However, it is important for managers to note that individuals are motivated by different stimuli to give the best of their performance. This therefore presents managers with the challenge to empower their personnel and to create an environment conducive to the enhancement of the performance of their staff.
The Department of Correctional Services, along with Government, faces the key challenge of engaging the community at large on the Department's view of rehabilitation in order for the public to understand that rehabilitation and humane treatment of detainees and offenders are essential for social crime prevention.
In this regard, our Communication strategy must be designed to share information with the general public, to take the debate into correctional facilities, to reach all members of the Department and to reach out to relevant Government Departments.
Our greatest challenge lies in the effective implementation of the new service delivery programmes outlined in the Strategic Plan for 2003 to 2006.
It would therefore be imperative to review our categories and criteria to be in line with the new direction without undermining the value of the current processes.
The South African correctional system is an integral part of the country's criminal justice system and requires an effective integrated justice approach for service delivery on the Department's core mandate. The enforcement of court sentences alone is not enough to ensure attitudinal, cognitive and behavioural change on the part of prisoners. Systematic efforts must be made to ensure the rehabilitation of offenders.
Our partners in the Criminal Justice System will have to embrace the principles of Restorative Justice and our Community Corrections system in considering alternative sentencing options as opposed to imprisonment.
I believe that Correctional Services is geared towards the encouragement and enforcement of constitutional values. As such the role of a code of ethics for offenders that can both inform what the Department expects of them in a correctional environment and what society anticipates them to learn through the rehabilitation process is essential.
Government's most important task has been to build a public service capable of meeting the challenge of "Batho Pele" and improving the delivery of public services to the citizens of South Africa.
Access to decent public services is no longer a privilege to be enjoyed by a small sector of the community, it is now the rightful expectation of all citizens, especially those previously disadvantaged.
In an attempt to respond to the service delivery challenges facing the Government, the Department went through a lot of processes of change and transformation. Some of the initiatives were intended to change the culture and practices that developed over many years, hence any attempt to change them poses itself as a challenge.
It is important to note that all these processes have now dove-tailed into the restructuring and transformation process that the Department is going through.
This process came as a result of a long period of negotiations between Government as employer and employee organisations which led to the signing of Resolution 7 of 2002 in the Public Service Co-ordinating Bargaining Council (PSCBC). The process intends to give impetus to the enhancement of service delivery in the public Service as a whole by ensuring that people with the relevant experience, knowledge and skills are placed in positions where they would function effectively.
To illustrate what I have just said to you, I would like to quote what the President said in answering a question in Parliament yesterday. "Our aim is to ensure that the Public Service has sufficient capacity in terms of numbers and requisite skills, to deliver on government's programme of action. In this regard, the principles underpinning processes in terms of resolution 7 of 2002 were, amongst others, to:
* Improve delivery of services to the community
* Enhance productivity and performance of the public service
* Promote good governance values amongst public servants
* Advance representivity and equity in the public service
* Improve the skills base of the Public Service
* Enhance greater equity in distribution of incomes and wealth"
This places a greater responsibility on managers to be considerate to individual staff members with peculiar circumstances without stifling the effective implementation of the process.
It is also imperative that in the process of matching and placing personnel, managers do not undermine the Constitutional imperative of creating a department that is broadly representative of the demographics of this country, through the Affirmative Action programme of Government. I believe that this Department achieved tremendous progress in this regard and this needs to be maintained and supported by relevant training.
Equally, we expect all staff members and employee organisations to support the restructuring process and co-operate with the Commissioner, Provincial Commissioners and the management teams in the implementation of Resolution 7 of 2002. I am certain that if the process is handled properly, it would benefit everybody, particularly the offenders and the community.
Mechanisms must be established to deal with the unintended outcomes of the restructuring process. Due to uncertainties associated with any change process, these outcomes manifest themselves in various forms that may lead to perceptions from different quarters.
Government therefore expects that this process should be handled with utmost care and consideration for issues that would impact negatively on the morale and functioning of the Department and the Public Service in general. It is expected that the process should be consultative, transparent and fair.
I have advised the Commissioner to establish a structure that would operate like an Ombudsman to audit and resolve the various concerns and representations raised by staff members who have raised objections to their placement.
This structure will afford individuals to do verbal representations to support their objections. It is my appeal that the whole restructuring and transformation process should not just be a mechanical exercise that would leave us with unhappy workers. It is a source of great pride for me to be in the midst of men and women of such distinguished characters within the Department. Your proven ability to rise to the challenge posed by the problems in your careers will always serve as a source of great inspiration to your colleagues in this Department and other Government Departments as I said before.
In conclusion, I would like to express my sincere thanks to Ms Winkie Direko, the Premier of the Free State, and the Free State Provincial Government for the support we continue to enjoy as a result of our association with you. You were with us and encouraged us when we were ridiculed by the media and other quarters as a result of the well-known events which took place in Grootvlei last year. We were able to go through that situation and it is important for us that we meet here today under different, and indeed happier circumstances.
I would further like to express my profound gratitude and thanks to all who found the time to be with us tonight as we celebrate and rejoice with those of our colleagues who have excelled in their work. It is a challenge to everyone to take that extra mile in the performance of their duties in turning the tide against violence and crime in our country.
This is in line with the President's statement that "The tide has turned. The people's contract for a better tomorrow is taking shape".
God Bless South Africa
God Bless the Free State, and
God Bless Correctional Services,
I thank you
Source: Department of Correctional Services (http://www.dcs.gov.za)
6 June 2003
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