Question NW1979 to the Minister of Justice and Correctional Services
10 October 2016 - NW1979
Selfe, Mr J to ask the Minister of Justice and Correctional Services
(1) Whether all the inmates incarcerated in the Middledrift Correctional Centre in the Eastern Cape are accommodated in conditions that conform with the regulations issued in terms of section 7(1) of the Correctional Services Act, Act 111 of 1998, as amended; if not, (a) what is the total number of inmates who are not accommodated in terms of the specified regulations, (b) in what respect are the regulations not being adhered to, (c) why are inmates accommodated in contravention of the regulations and (d) what steps are being taken to ensure that all inmates at the specified correctional centre are being accommodated in conformity with the regulations; (2) whether the centre has been affected by interruptions in the supply of water from 1 March 2016 up to the latest specified date for which information is available; if so, what (a) are the relevant details and (b) steps are being taken to ensure an uninterrupted supply of water at the centre?
Reply:
(1) All the inmates incarcerated in the Middledrift Correctional Centre in the Eastern Cape are accommodated in conditions that conform to the regulations issued in terms of section 7(1) of the Correctional Services Act, Act 111 of 1998, as amended.
(1)(a) There are no inmates that are not accommodated in terms of the specified regulations.
(1)(b) On 31 August 2016, a total of 1277 sentenced offenders were accommodated against approved accommodation of 646. This represents an overcrowding level of 97.67%. The aforementioned pose a challenge to fully comply with the regulations.
(1)(c) Inmates are not accommodated in contravention of the regulations, but due to overcrowding and lack of bed space in the region there is no full compliance with the regulations.
(1)(d) The number of sentenced offenders is managed by applying the following dimensions within the multi-pronged strategy to manage overcrowding:
- Improving effective and appropriate use of conversion of sentences to community correctional supervision;
- Timeous consideration of offenders for possible release on parole; and
- Transfers between correctional centres in an attempt to establish some degree of evenness of overcrowding.
(2) Yes, the centre has been affected by interruptions in the supply of water.
(2)(a) The institution had the problem with water sewage and sanitation from 1 March 2016 to date.
(2)(b) Local municipality supplies water to the correctional centre through the water tanks. The office held a meeting with Amathole District Municipality on the matter was discussed at length and the resolution was that the Amathole District Municipality will need to re-instate the water supply from Sandile Dam which was closed off as the current water supply is a challenged. The long term solution is that the centre can plan to build its own water storage to curb such challenges in future.