Committee Overview of 2014/15 budgets: Departments of Justice and Correctional Services; Police and Defence and Military Veterans

Meeting report

The Chairperson commented that the Committee could only be taken forward if its members and government officials worked together.

The Committee Content Advisor, Ms Anthea van den Burg, gave an overview of Correctional Services, mentioning that the Departments of Justice and Correctional Services had merged and both now reported to the Minister of Justice and Corrections. However currently the Justice and Corrections Departments still remained separate with their own heads of departments and budgets until they are formally amalgamated. She spoke about the Department of Correctional Services (DCS) highlighting that it received a qualified audit opinion in 2012/13. The Acting National Commissioner of Corrections was appointed in June 2014 - between September 2013 and June 2014 the Chief Operations Officer was Acting National Commissioner.  She spoke about Correctional Services key legislation and policy, gave a summary of the 2014/15 budget and it spending priorities for the 2014/15 financial year

The 2014/15 Budget spending priorities for the 2014/15 financial year and Medium-Term Expenditure Framework (MTEF) were provided as well as selected Performance Indicators. She raised concerns about overcrowding and whether the 2013/14 target to reduce overcrowding in correctional centres by 30% had been met. Another concern was assaults in prison: why had the number of assaults doubled in one financial year? At which centres were assaults most reported? How many were offender-on-offender and how many staff-on-offender assaults?

The Department intended to increase the percentage of inmates tested for HIV from 50% in 2013/14 to 70% in 2014/15 as well as increase access to anti-retroviral therapy from 94 to 95% for inmates living with HIV/AIDS.  What had to be more closely monitored was whether new inmates were tested for HIV on admission, the regions and centres with the highest HIV prevalence, and targets for the regions and centres most affected. 

Committee Researcher, Ms Patricia Whittle, presented a review on the Department of Justice (DOJ) 2014/15 Budget Summary for its five programmes: 1) Administration (manage the department, develop policies and strategies for the efficient administration of justice, and provide centralised support services); 2) Court Services (facilitate the resolution of criminal and civil cases and family law disputes by providing accessible, efficient and quality administrative support to the courts and managing court facilities); 3) State Legal Services (provide legal and legislative services to government. Supervise the registration of trusts and the administration of deceased and insolvent estate and those undergoing liquidation); 4) National Prosecuting Authority (provide a co-ordinated prosecuting service that ensures justice is delivered to the victims of crime through general and specialised prosecutions; removes the profit from crime; and protects certain witnesses); 5) Auxiliary and Associated Services (provide a variety of auxiliary services associated with the department's aim. Fund transfer payments to the South African Human Rights Commission, the Public Protector, State Investigating Unit, Master's Office, SA Law Reform Commission, Legal Aid South Africa and the President's Fund). The biggest portion of the DOJ budget was allocated to Court Services followed by Administration.

The Medium Term (MTEF) spending focus would be on improving services in courts, transforming state legal services, implementing new pieces of legislation, opening high courts in Polokwane and Nelspruit, and accelerating access to services provided by the Master's and State Attorney's offices.

Mr Gurshwyn Dixon, Committee Secretary, highlighted aspects of what the Select Committee does including the mandate of the National Council of Provinces and its legislative process.

Ms van den Burg presented an overview of the Departments of Police and the Defence and Military Veterans covering the following elements:

Department of Police:
National Development Plan
•           Government Outcome 3: “all people in South Africa are and feel safe”.
•           NDP: long-term social crime prevention strategies that look at the causes of crime and               require coordination of all departments

NDP – Criminal Justice Cluster
 •          Strengthen the criminal justice system
•           Professionalising the Police Service
•           Demilitarise the police
•           Increase rehabilitation of prisoners and reduce recidivism
•           Build safety using an integrated approach
 

Policy and Legislation
•           White Paper on Policing
•           The South African Police Services Act 1995
•           National Key Points Act

Provincial Crime Statistics
•           Highest Crime Provinces 2013:
       Gauteng
       Western Cape
       KwaZulu Natal
•           Main contributing factors:
       Labour unrest
       Drugs
       Gangsterism
 

SAPS Programmes
•           Administration
•           Visible Policing
•           Detectives
•           Crime Intelligence
•           Protection and Security services programmes

Police Budget
•           Visible policing - 51.1% of the overall budget
•           The key sub programmes of visible policing are:
•           Crime Prevention
•           Border Security
•           Specialised interventions
•           Facilities
•           Crime Prevention - R29 million for 2014/15 which is equivalent to approximately 79% of the Visible Policing budget.
•           The Crime prevention arm of SAPS will deal with Sector policing, community police forums, implementation of the rural safety strategy and police stations where victim friendly service to victims of rape, sexual offences, domestic violence and abuse is set up.

Key Programmes for Committee
•           Sector Policing and Community Police Forums:
-           Rural Safety Strategy
-           Victim friendly facilities at police stations
-           Public Order Policing
-           Khayelitsha Commission of Enquiry
-           Farlam Commission of Enquiry


Department of Defence and Military Veterans:
Background
•           State of the Nation Address (SONA): " The South African National Defence Force (SANDF) has been a source of national pride as it participated in peacekeeping missions in the continent. This role will continue and government is looking into the resourcing of the SANDF mandate in line with recently concluded Defence Review.“

•           NDP: Chapter 12: Building safer communities:
•           Reduce youth unemployment:
•           Strengthen South Africa's position in the SADC region and increase trade and        investment.

South African National Defence Force (SANDF)
•           Priorities:
            Border safeguarding
            External deployments
            Renewal of the SANDF’s Landward defence capability
            The Execution of the Maritime Strategy
            Internal operations
            Capacitation of the Armscor Dockyard
            Establishment of a naval base in Durban

Budget Priorities - Defence
      Landward Defence – R13bn
      Sub-Programmes:
      Infantry Capability:
      Support Capability:
      Air Defence: R7bn

Main Defence Programmes
•           Landward Defence Programme
•           Air Defence Programme

2014 Defence Review
•           Defence Mandate, Defence commitments and the resource allocation. 
•           Defence policy has been located within the context of South Africa’s foreign and security     policy priorities.
•           Greater budget allocation or a scaled down level of ambition and commitment which is aligned to the current budget allocation.
 
Military Veterans
•           National Policy on standards on socio-economic support to military veterans and their dependants
•           Operating separately from DOD since April 2013
•           Major Risks
•           insufficient budget
•           Insufficient accommodation
•           Reliability, accuracy and completeness of MV beneficiary database.
•           Medium Term: Socio-economic support and empowerment and stakeholder management
 
Concluding Comments
•           Monitor Implementation
•           Visible Policing – translation into decreased crime statistics
•           Defence Review – Budget and Priorities
 

Discussion
Ms G Manopole (ANC, Northern Cape) asked if the Committee had a legal section that would be able to assist members/staff with legal issues.

Ms van den Burg responded that there was a legal unit that supported the Committee.

In response to Mr G Michalakis (DA, Free State) asking for the latest figure for court infrastructure spending since the figure given was for 2013/14, Ms van den Burg said that she would forward him the 2014/15 figure.

Ms T Wana (ANC, Eastern Cape) asked if there was any framework to stop crime in prisons.

Ms T Mampuru (ANC, Limpopo) said there was inconsistency in the allocation of budgets as the three provinces that had the highest crime rate were allocated a minimal budget. She wondered why Mpumalanga, North West and Limpopo were represented as one location (KZN).

Ms van den Burg said that Ms Mampuru had highlighted a very important matter about budget allocations. This was definitely something that should be looked at.

Mr M Mohapi (ANC, Free State) spoke about safety and security in municipalities. He asked how the security system could be controlled and regulated. With regard to military veterans, how could one manage a service that was only part-time? How was the Department ensuring veterans were placed? The Reserve Force needed to be revitalised.

The Chairperson said Military Veterans should definitely be addressed at the next Committee meeting.

Ms Wana told members to check their emails as the Committee was very good at supplying documents.

The Chairperson thanked everyone and adjourned the meeting.