Date: 17/06/2003
Source: Department of Correctional Services
Title: Skosana: Youth Month: Youth Day celebration
SPEECH BY THE MINISTER OF CORRECTIONAL SERVICES, MR BEN M SKOSANA, MP, AT THE NATIONAL YOUTH DAY CELEBRATIONS IN THE PIETERMARITZBURG MANAGEMENT AREA, 17 June 2003
Programme Director, Inkosi B N Mdletshe
Your Majesty King Zwelithini Goodwill Zulu ka Bhekuzulu
Your Royal Highness, the Queen
MECs here present
Amakhosi who are here
Commissioner Linda Mti
Provincial Commissioner Patrick Gillingham
Management and Staff of Correctional Services
Distinguished guests
Ladies and Gentlemen
It is with great humility and honour that I stand before Your Majesty today as we celebrate National Youth Day, a day on which we acknowledge the contribution which young people have made to the freedom whose fruits we are enjoying today. This is a time when we dedicate ourselves to the promotion of those programmes which expand opportunities for young people who are supposed to be builders of our society and the shapers of our economy.
We take this opportunity to remind ourselves of what happened in the past so that as South Africans we do not forget the significance of the freedom we are enjoying today, and that we shall do everything within our power to ensure that we preserve this freedom for our children and our children's children.
We therefore have the obligation to be in line with the Government's integrated and holistic approach to youth development as embraced within the National Youth Policy Development Policy Framework. We are cognisant of the fact that we have to assist young people not only to be economically active, but we face the challenge to develop them in totality. For the moment I must pause to lament the situation of the youth before me this morning.
South Africa is saying the youth of this country deserve to be afforded equal social, economic and educational opportunities to better their lives and circumstances, irrespective of their cultural disposition. And this should happen at the time the young people enter the stage of their history. The uncompromising mortal stage where they are destined to act out the role of their hopes, fears and dreams until the curtain fell. The dreams borne out of the noble ideals of freedom and prosperity cherished and struggled for by the multitude of young heroes and heroines who went before them. That is why the revolutionary, Amilcar Cabral could say to the youth of Guinea Bissau.
And he may as well have directed this to the youth of South Africa during the struggle for political emancipation.
"And you, the youth here, must take your responsibilities on your shoulders. You must fully understand the following; if the struggle were to end tomorrow, you should be ready, as youth, to ensure the work of our people, to build the progress our people wants. But if it were to last ten more years, you, the youth here, have the duty of taking the place of the older men who can no longer carry on, and have the duty of preparing other young men, so that they are trained in time to take up the struggle"
(Unity and Struggle - Amilcar Cabral )
There are those in our society who say that despite the opportunities afforded the youth by our Government, you, the youth who are in prison today cast yourselves into the roles of villains, you chose to embrace the life of crime such as murder, assaults, rape, theft, fraud and drugs. On the other hand social theorists and passionate prison reformers argue that it is the society's social and economic inadequacies which cast you into these unfortunate roles on this mortal stage. They reflect on youth illiteracy, unemployment, poverty, rural and urban disequilibrium and general moral degeneration. You now, in the words of the African American Poet Langston Hughes lament your situation: -
And the wall rose,
Rose slowly, slowly,
Between me and my dream.
Rose slowly, slowly,
Dimming, hiding,
The Light of my dream
Rose until it touched the sky -
The wall.
I lie down in the Shadow.
No longer the light of my dream before me,
Above me.
Only the thick wall.
Only the shadow.
(Selected Poems of Langston Hughes)
Today's occasion should be a clear indication of our commitment to seek innovative approaches and comprehensive strategies to advance the cause of youth development and cement our belief that today's youth is tomorrow's nation. Bring down the wall that separate them from morality, chase away the dark shadows which darkens their steps to their dreams. The dreams that our Department and Government should assist to bring to realisation. It should also signify our dedication to the promotion of an integrated approach to the rehabilitation of young offenders.
It is our belief that rehabilitation should remain the objective of sentencing, not only as a means of helping offenders but also as a means of long term crime prevention and safety and security of the community. This is why the participation of the community in rehabilitation is so crucial to the communication of behavioural standards and the fortification of human bonds with the prisoners in preparation for their reintegration into society.
We are convinced that while individuals should be held accountable for their behaviour, it must be recognised that society generally must also share in the responsibility because society not only helps shape behaviour but it has resources for altering it.
We believe that we have a greater obligation to rehabilitate our youth who still have a life to lead after prison. This is why we wish to appeal to the community and the private sector to lend a hand in breaking the cycle of crime by accepting these young offenders after their release from prison.
Every one of us has the obligation to contribute to the maintenance and protection of a just, peaceful and safe society in our country by upholding the law and justice, as well as the promotion of the social responsibility and human development of all citizens.
The inability of these young people to be accepted by the community and the private sector will lead to re-offending and thus perpetuate crime in the country.
The struggle to reconcile the aspirations of the young and that of their older people is written vividly in the history pages of all nations and peoples. One of the African leaders, writer and philosopher, Nnamdi Azikiwe advised in this manner:
"It is a phase of human nature for Old Age to becloud the aspirations of Youth. It is too evident that throughout history a secret battle has been waging between Old Age and Youth.
The remarkable part of this secret battle is that it was caused by pride, and the struggle still rears its horrid head through unwillingness to admit the inevitable, graciously, on the part of Old Age.
Youth is said to be aflame. Youth is regarded as rash, uncontrollable, and irresponsible. Those who emphasize these, in their denunciations of Youth, do so because they believe that the role of Youth is to obey and to take orders.
But Youth is also the golden age of man. It is a phase of man's life when the flames of passion burn within. It gives to the world some of the best poems imaginable, some of the finest dramas read, some of the most intriguing novels written, and some of the finest specimens of humanity, physically speaking.
In view of this, it cannot be safely concluded that the period of Youth is inconsequential in the history of any people, black or otherwise".
(Nnamdi Azikiwe - Renascent Africa - published 1937, London)
Our situation is complicated by the fact that the latest available statistics indicate that we have 190,180 prisoners in our custody. Out of these 58,528 are awaiting trial while 131,652 have been sentenced. Our prison capacity remains at 111,241 meaning that we overpopulated by 78,939 or 71%.
There are 29,951 young people between the ages of 14 and 20 in our prisons comprising 14,573 awaiting trial while 15,378 have been sentenced.
KwaZulu-Natal has a prisoner population of 31,771 making it the province with the second highest number of prisoners after Gauteng. Of these 6,523 are young people incarcerated in prisons throughout the province.
Concern about overcrowding was also recently expressed by the Chief Justice, Mr Justice Arthur Chaskalson, when he questioned the imposition of lifelong sentences on those found guilty of serious crimes, noting that a high proportion of those in the country's prisons were below the age of 25 years. He also noted that the imprisonment of people for long terms had a major impact on the prison population and subsequently more money is needed for the construction of new prisons.
Let us hope that the judiciary will now be ready to implement the relevant legal provisions to impose bail on deserving cases and the judicial officers to impose alternative sentencing in the interests of reducing overcrowding in our prisons.
We are engendered by the National Youth Economic Participation Strategy developed by the National Youth Commission to provide access to procurement opportunities, to the promotion of black economic empowerment in agriculture, to make a contribution towards land reform and rural poverty eradication and provide support to young aspirant farmers so that they can play a meaningful role in agricultural development and economic growth.
In its programme of expanding economic opportunities for our youth, the government, as part of its public works programme, has availed resources to help the youth participate to rehabilitate public buildings so that they are friendly to people with disabilities.
It is incumbent upon all of us as members of this Department to encourage all the youth in our prisons to take advantage of all existing programmes offered in our prisons. These programmes include ABET, skills training, sports, business training and all the others which are offered in our facilities. The benefits, which will accrue from such an exercise, will go a long way towards empowering our inmates and make them ready to confidently enter the job market upon their release.
A total of 22 360 offenders were trained during 2002 in a variety of skills related to the workshop, building and agricultural fields. The establishment of 12 training centres of the planned 14 training centres has already been completed. These centres are aimed at the promotion of occupational skills training, in which artisan status cannot be obtained but specialized training is provided.
It is aimed at equipping offenders with basic technical skills in a variety of fields such as brick-making, brick-laying, woodwork, welding, garment making, etc. Business skills training is also provided in order to equip individuals with skills to operate their own small businesses. I would like to thank the Department of Labour for their assistance and financial support in this regard.
The President's Award programme, a self-development programme available to young offenders equipping them with life skills to make a difference to themselves, their communities and their world, forms part of Rehabilitation programmes for young offenders in the Department.
It is a holistic programme that aims to promote the social, psychological and physical well being of young people in South Africa. A President's Award Gold Ceremony was hosted in Grahamstown on 7 July 2002.
During this prestigious event the former President Dr Nelson Mandela, who is the Patron-in-chief, accompanied by the Earl of Wessex and his wife and Commissioner Mti, handed Gold Awards to 110 young offenders who successfully participated in the programme.
The involvement of the President's Award in young offender programmes has played a significant role in seeing young people in conflict with the law being successfully reintegrated into society.
We also wish to commend the work done by all NGO's, such as ALPHA, Nicro and many others who are involved with the young people in our facilities and also with ex-offenders in an attempt to restore their integrity, their relationships with their victims and communities.
Thereby effecting a sustainable re-integration in society.
Besides skills development, the Department is engaged in education and training programmes which are meant to raise the prisoners' literacy rate and equip them for successful integration into society.
Our Adult Basic Education and Training (ABET) provides a basis from which offenders can further their education in other areas where literacy is essential such as entry into a variety of training opportunities.
Chapter 2 Section 35 of the Constitution of the Republic of South Africa which is the Bill of Rights guarantees certain rights to arrested, detained and accused persons. I believe that they in turn have the moral obligation to respect the rights of others including fellow inmates.
There is no reason for some prisoners to assume the right to assault, sodomise or rape others, nor is there any justification for the existence of prison gangs. Drug trafficking and substance abuse have no place in our prisons as they can only aggravate the health conditions in our prisons and further destroy the intellectual and physical demeanour of individuals.
It is also criminal for those prisoners who are HIV positive to deliberately infect other fellow inmates with the disease as a measure of punishment as it was alleged in evidence given to the Jali Commission in the Western Cape. In fact those who do so and are found out should be criminally charged for attempted murder. They do nothing but perpetuate further criminality in our facilities.
Our prison officials must continue to consolidate our HIV/AIDS programme in prisons which includes prevention, education, caring, communication and humane treatment.
Our obligation as Government has been to build a credible public service which is able to meet the challenges posed by "Batho Pele" and improve the delivery of services to the citizens of this country.
In order to position ourselves to carry out this task, the Department had to go through a lot of processes of change, restructuring and transformation. These initiatives were meant to transform the culture and practices that have developed over a number of years. Any attempt to change them becomes a challenge by itself.
We have subsequently blended these processes into the restructuring and transformation processes which are underway in the Department.
In answer to a question in Parliament recently, the President said "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"
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.
In conclusion, I would like to extend my most sincere appreciation to His Majesty, the King for having found the time to be with us today, because we are aware of the fact that there are many demands on His Majesty's time.
His Majesty's presence here today signals the seriousness of the occasion and the determination which all of us must muster to make the future of our youth brighter than it currently is.
We have to promote conditions for young people to be globally competitive and active stakeholders in the development of their country, their communities and their own lives.
The presence of all of you today should give young people the encouragement and confidence they need to go forth with pride and fortitude so that they too can contribute towards making this a world much better than they found it, by taking action to seize the opportunities of our democracy. God bless the Youth of South Africa, God bless Correctional Services,
I thank you.
Source: Department of Correctional Services (http://www.dcs.gov.za)
Source: Department of Correctional Services
Title: Skosana: Youth Month: Youth Day celebration
SPEECH BY THE MINISTER OF CORRECTIONAL SERVICES, MR BEN M SKOSANA, MP, AT THE NATIONAL YOUTH DAY CELEBRATIONS IN THE PIETERMARITZBURG MANAGEMENT AREA, 17 June 2003
Programme Director, Inkosi B N Mdletshe
Your Majesty King Zwelithini Goodwill Zulu ka Bhekuzulu
Your Royal Highness, the Queen
MECs here present
Amakhosi who are here
Commissioner Linda Mti
Provincial Commissioner Patrick Gillingham
Management and Staff of Correctional Services
Distinguished guests
Ladies and Gentlemen
It is with great humility and honour that I stand before Your Majesty today as we celebrate National Youth Day, a day on which we acknowledge the contribution which young people have made to the freedom whose fruits we are enjoying today. This is a time when we dedicate ourselves to the promotion of those programmes which expand opportunities for young people who are supposed to be builders of our society and the shapers of our economy.
We take this opportunity to remind ourselves of what happened in the past so that as South Africans we do not forget the significance of the freedom we are enjoying today, and that we shall do everything within our power to ensure that we preserve this freedom for our children and our children's children.
We therefore have the obligation to be in line with the Government's integrated and holistic approach to youth development as embraced within the National Youth Policy Development Policy Framework. We are cognisant of the fact that we have to assist young people not only to be economically active, but we face the challenge to develop them in totality. For the moment I must pause to lament the situation of the youth before me this morning.
South Africa is saying the youth of this country deserve to be afforded equal social, economic and educational opportunities to better their lives and circumstances, irrespective of their cultural disposition. And this should happen at the time the young people enter the stage of their history. The uncompromising mortal stage where they are destined to act out the role of their hopes, fears and dreams until the curtain fell. The dreams borne out of the noble ideals of freedom and prosperity cherished and struggled for by the multitude of young heroes and heroines who went before them. That is why the revolutionary, Amilcar Cabral could say to the youth of Guinea Bissau.
And he may as well have directed this to the youth of South Africa during the struggle for political emancipation.
"And you, the youth here, must take your responsibilities on your shoulders. You must fully understand the following; if the struggle were to end tomorrow, you should be ready, as youth, to ensure the work of our people, to build the progress our people wants. But if it were to last ten more years, you, the youth here, have the duty of taking the place of the older men who can no longer carry on, and have the duty of preparing other young men, so that they are trained in time to take up the struggle"
(Unity and Struggle - Amilcar Cabral )
There are those in our society who say that despite the opportunities afforded the youth by our Government, you, the youth who are in prison today cast yourselves into the roles of villains, you chose to embrace the life of crime such as murder, assaults, rape, theft, fraud and drugs. On the other hand social theorists and passionate prison reformers argue that it is the society's social and economic inadequacies which cast you into these unfortunate roles on this mortal stage. They reflect on youth illiteracy, unemployment, poverty, rural and urban disequilibrium and general moral degeneration. You now, in the words of the African American Poet Langston Hughes lament your situation: -
And the wall rose,
Rose slowly, slowly,
Between me and my dream.
Rose slowly, slowly,
Dimming, hiding,
The Light of my dream
Rose until it touched the sky -
The wall.
I lie down in the Shadow.
No longer the light of my dream before me,
Above me.
Only the thick wall.
Only the shadow.
(Selected Poems of Langston Hughes)
Today's occasion should be a clear indication of our commitment to seek innovative approaches and comprehensive strategies to advance the cause of youth development and cement our belief that today's youth is tomorrow's nation. Bring down the wall that separate them from morality, chase away the dark shadows which darkens their steps to their dreams. The dreams that our Department and Government should assist to bring to realisation. It should also signify our dedication to the promotion of an integrated approach to the rehabilitation of young offenders.
It is our belief that rehabilitation should remain the objective of sentencing, not only as a means of helping offenders but also as a means of long term crime prevention and safety and security of the community. This is why the participation of the community in rehabilitation is so crucial to the communication of behavioural standards and the fortification of human bonds with the prisoners in preparation for their reintegration into society.
We are convinced that while individuals should be held accountable for their behaviour, it must be recognised that society generally must also share in the responsibility because society not only helps shape behaviour but it has resources for altering it.
We believe that we have a greater obligation to rehabilitate our youth who still have a life to lead after prison. This is why we wish to appeal to the community and the private sector to lend a hand in breaking the cycle of crime by accepting these young offenders after their release from prison.
Every one of us has the obligation to contribute to the maintenance and protection of a just, peaceful and safe society in our country by upholding the law and justice, as well as the promotion of the social responsibility and human development of all citizens.
The inability of these young people to be accepted by the community and the private sector will lead to re-offending and thus perpetuate crime in the country.
The struggle to reconcile the aspirations of the young and that of their older people is written vividly in the history pages of all nations and peoples. One of the African leaders, writer and philosopher, Nnamdi Azikiwe advised in this manner:
"It is a phase of human nature for Old Age to becloud the aspirations of Youth. It is too evident that throughout history a secret battle has been waging between Old Age and Youth.
The remarkable part of this secret battle is that it was caused by pride, and the struggle still rears its horrid head through unwillingness to admit the inevitable, graciously, on the part of Old Age.
Youth is said to be aflame. Youth is regarded as rash, uncontrollable, and irresponsible. Those who emphasize these, in their denunciations of Youth, do so because they believe that the role of Youth is to obey and to take orders.
But Youth is also the golden age of man. It is a phase of man's life when the flames of passion burn within. It gives to the world some of the best poems imaginable, some of the finest dramas read, some of the most intriguing novels written, and some of the finest specimens of humanity, physically speaking.
In view of this, it cannot be safely concluded that the period of Youth is inconsequential in the history of any people, black or otherwise".
(Nnamdi Azikiwe - Renascent Africa - published 1937, London)
Our situation is complicated by the fact that the latest available statistics indicate that we have 190,180 prisoners in our custody. Out of these 58,528 are awaiting trial while 131,652 have been sentenced. Our prison capacity remains at 111,241 meaning that we overpopulated by 78,939 or 71%.
There are 29,951 young people between the ages of 14 and 20 in our prisons comprising 14,573 awaiting trial while 15,378 have been sentenced.
KwaZulu-Natal has a prisoner population of 31,771 making it the province with the second highest number of prisoners after Gauteng. Of these 6,523 are young people incarcerated in prisons throughout the province.
Concern about overcrowding was also recently expressed by the Chief Justice, Mr Justice Arthur Chaskalson, when he questioned the imposition of lifelong sentences on those found guilty of serious crimes, noting that a high proportion of those in the country's prisons were below the age of 25 years. He also noted that the imprisonment of people for long terms had a major impact on the prison population and subsequently more money is needed for the construction of new prisons.
Let us hope that the judiciary will now be ready to implement the relevant legal provisions to impose bail on deserving cases and the judicial officers to impose alternative sentencing in the interests of reducing overcrowding in our prisons.
We are engendered by the National Youth Economic Participation Strategy developed by the National Youth Commission to provide access to procurement opportunities, to the promotion of black economic empowerment in agriculture, to make a contribution towards land reform and rural poverty eradication and provide support to young aspirant farmers so that they can play a meaningful role in agricultural development and economic growth.
In its programme of expanding economic opportunities for our youth, the government, as part of its public works programme, has availed resources to help the youth participate to rehabilitate public buildings so that they are friendly to people with disabilities.
It is incumbent upon all of us as members of this Department to encourage all the youth in our prisons to take advantage of all existing programmes offered in our prisons. These programmes include ABET, skills training, sports, business training and all the others which are offered in our facilities. The benefits, which will accrue from such an exercise, will go a long way towards empowering our inmates and make them ready to confidently enter the job market upon their release.
A total of 22 360 offenders were trained during 2002 in a variety of skills related to the workshop, building and agricultural fields. The establishment of 12 training centres of the planned 14 training centres has already been completed. These centres are aimed at the promotion of occupational skills training, in which artisan status cannot be obtained but specialized training is provided.
It is aimed at equipping offenders with basic technical skills in a variety of fields such as brick-making, brick-laying, woodwork, welding, garment making, etc. Business skills training is also provided in order to equip individuals with skills to operate their own small businesses. I would like to thank the Department of Labour for their assistance and financial support in this regard.
The President's Award programme, a self-development programme available to young offenders equipping them with life skills to make a difference to themselves, their communities and their world, forms part of Rehabilitation programmes for young offenders in the Department.
It is a holistic programme that aims to promote the social, psychological and physical well being of young people in South Africa. A President's Award Gold Ceremony was hosted in Grahamstown on 7 July 2002.
During this prestigious event the former President Dr Nelson Mandela, who is the Patron-in-chief, accompanied by the Earl of Wessex and his wife and Commissioner Mti, handed Gold Awards to 110 young offenders who successfully participated in the programme.
The involvement of the President's Award in young offender programmes has played a significant role in seeing young people in conflict with the law being successfully reintegrated into society.
We also wish to commend the work done by all NGO's, such as ALPHA, Nicro and many others who are involved with the young people in our facilities and also with ex-offenders in an attempt to restore their integrity, their relationships with their victims and communities.
Thereby effecting a sustainable re-integration in society.
Besides skills development, the Department is engaged in education and training programmes which are meant to raise the prisoners' literacy rate and equip them for successful integration into society.
Our Adult Basic Education and Training (ABET) provides a basis from which offenders can further their education in other areas where literacy is essential such as entry into a variety of training opportunities.
Chapter 2 Section 35 of the Constitution of the Republic of South Africa which is the Bill of Rights guarantees certain rights to arrested, detained and accused persons. I believe that they in turn have the moral obligation to respect the rights of others including fellow inmates.
There is no reason for some prisoners to assume the right to assault, sodomise or rape others, nor is there any justification for the existence of prison gangs. Drug trafficking and substance abuse have no place in our prisons as they can only aggravate the health conditions in our prisons and further destroy the intellectual and physical demeanour of individuals.
It is also criminal for those prisoners who are HIV positive to deliberately infect other fellow inmates with the disease as a measure of punishment as it was alleged in evidence given to the Jali Commission in the Western Cape. In fact those who do so and are found out should be criminally charged for attempted murder. They do nothing but perpetuate further criminality in our facilities.
Our prison officials must continue to consolidate our HIV/AIDS programme in prisons which includes prevention, education, caring, communication and humane treatment.
Our obligation as Government has been to build a credible public service which is able to meet the challenges posed by "Batho Pele" and improve the delivery of services to the citizens of this country.
In order to position ourselves to carry out this task, the Department had to go through a lot of processes of change, restructuring and transformation. These initiatives were meant to transform the culture and practices that have developed over a number of years. Any attempt to change them becomes a challenge by itself.
We have subsequently blended these processes into the restructuring and transformation processes which are underway in the Department.
In answer to a question in Parliament recently, the President said "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"
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.
In conclusion, I would like to extend my most sincere appreciation to His Majesty, the King for having found the time to be with us today, because we are aware of the fact that there are many demands on His Majesty's time.
His Majesty's presence here today signals the seriousness of the occasion and the determination which all of us must muster to make the future of our youth brighter than it currently is.
We have to promote conditions for young people to be globally competitive and active stakeholders in the development of their country, their communities and their own lives.
The presence of all of you today should give young people the encouragement and confidence they need to go forth with pride and fortitude so that they too can contribute towards making this a world much better than they found it, by taking action to seize the opportunities of our democracy. God bless the Youth of South Africa, God bless Correctional Services,
I thank you.
Source: Department of Correctional Services (http://www.dcs.gov.za)
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