Hansard: Appropriation Bill: Budget Vote No 13 - Arts and Culture
House: National Council of Provinces
Date of Meeting: 25 May 2010
Summary
No summary available.
Minutes
WEDNESDAY, 26 MAY 2010
PROCEEDINGS OF THE NATIONAL COUNCIL OF PROVINCES
_________________________
The Council met at 14:00.
The Chairperson took the chair and requested members to observe a moment of silence for prayers or meditation.
The CHAIRPERSON OF THE NCOP: Hon members, I have been informed that the Whippery has agreed that there will be no notices of motions or motions without notice today.
APPROPRIATION BILL
(Policy debate)
Budget Vote No 13 - Arts and Culture:
The DEPUTY MINISTER OF ARTS AND CULTURE: Chairperson, hon members, MECs present here, ladies and gentleman, I stand before this House to present the Budget Vote for the Department of Arts and Culture for the financial year 2010-11, a year which the ANC has declared as the year of working together to speed up effective service delivery to the people.
We present our Budget Vote a day after we have marked the 47th anniversary of Africa Day, which this year we will celebrate under the theme, Promoting and Maintaining Peace in Africa through Sport.
As we celebrate Africa Day, we once more commit ourselves to the goal of promoting unity and progress across the continent. We must also remember our African brothers and sisters in the diaspora, especially the people of Haiti following the earthquake that destroyed many of their lives and livelihoods. As part of our work in supporting the people of Haiti as they rebuild their country, we launched the African Artists for Haiti initiative last month.
This year's theme for Africa Day takes on even more significance as our country is preparing to welcome the peoples of the world to the 2010 Fifa World Cup. During that historic moment, when the first whistle is blown to signal the start of the games, we will proudly proclaim that Africa's time has come: Afrika ke nako! [Africa, now is the time!]
The Department of Arts and Culture continues to make significant advances in pursuit of its vision to develop and preserve South African culture to ensure social cohesion and nation-building. Part of our work involves highlighting the important role that the arts, culture and heritage sector can play in the growth and development of our economy. This is particularly significant in the light of the need for us to continue strengthening our offensive on poverty and unemployment.
In countries such as the United Kingdom and India, the arts, culture and heritage sector represents some of the fastest-growing economic sectors contributing to job creation and poverty alleviation. In our country too, there is evidence that this sector is a significant contributor to the gross domestic product. Most importantly, this sector provides sustainable a livelihood to women, youth and rural communities.
This reality was reaffirmed at a Presidential imbizo last year where President Jacob Zuma, various Ministers and MECs of Arts and Culture met with the creative industry practitioners. This imbizo marked renewed efforts by our government to reposition the creative industries. This will be done with a view to acknowledging and enhancing the sector's contribution to the broader objective of government to grow the economy and create jobs.
It is for this reason that the Department of Arts and Culture is currently siezed with the important task of mapping cultural industries and researching their economic impact. It is critical, for example, to know to what extent events such as the Mangaung African Cultural Festival, the North West Cultural Calabash annually held in Taung, the Cape Town Carnival, the National Arts Festival and many other festivals contribute to the economies of most of the host cities.
It is also important that we pay attention to the urgent need to build the appropriate skills base required to sustain and further develop this sector. In this regard, efforts are underway to establish a national skills academy for the arts. We are currently consulting with all relevant stakeholders, including our international partners, to ensure the success of this initiative.
The national skills academy will become a centre of excellence whose purpose will be to fine-tune the abundant talent that many of our artists have, with a view to ensuring that they become the best in the world.
Arts training initiatives and programmes conducted by different provinces will serve as feeders to the national skills academy. It is for this reason that we will continue to work closely with provinces to ensure the success of this initiative.
The Department of Arts and Culture, together with the Presidency, will continue to lead celebrations and commemorations of national days. In line with the directive from the President, we have began a process of ensuring that all political parties represented in Parliament take part in these events.
We take this opportunity to thank the leaders of political parties for working together with us to ensure maximum and diverse participation in the celebrations and commemorations of national days. From now on, national days will no longer be seen as the exclusive preserve of certain sections of our society. We are building a country united in its diversity.
In order to sustain the momentum we have built up in this regard, provinces and municipalities will have to play a major role in mobilising communities to attend these events. Provinces and municipalities must therefore be part of the planning and the development of programmes for these events to ensure that they are relevant and can appeal to the targeted communities.
During the month of June we will be commemorating the 34th anniversary of the June 16 youth uprising. The Youth Day commemoration for this year will be in Kanyamazane in Mpumalanga. Of significance is that we will be marking this important event with the rest of the world who would have come to our country for the World Cup. It is therefore important that we continue to mobilise young people to participate in the cultural activities for the 2010 World Cup and beyond.
In pursuit of this objective, the Department of Arts and Culture continues to encourage mass participation, especially by young people, in arts and culture. This we do through programmes such as the Arts Education Programme, which we have undertaken in partnership with the Department of Education. Through this programme, we seek to expand access to arts education and also improve the quality of arts and culture education, especially in public schools.
In addition, through the SA Schools Choral Eisteddfod, we continue to encourage mass participation by young people, especially learners, in choral music. This event, which also contributes to social cohesion and fosters nation-building, last year alone drew the participation of about 5 000 learners from across all provinces.
We have also partnered with the Field Band Foundation to strengthen efforts to build a strong and sustainable youth band movement across the country.
Another mass participation project is the My 2010 Schools Adventure competition. Through this programme, we seek to mobilise our young people behind the 2010 Fifa World Cup. Furthermore, this programme seeks to encourage our young people to know and take pride in their national symbols. Also linked to this initiative is the Fly the Flag in Every School campaign, through which we seek to further entrench an appreciation of our national symbols, in particular the national flag, amongst learners in all our schools.
This campaign is conducted in partnership with the provincial departments of education as well as the provincial departments of sport, recreation, arts and culture.
As we move forward, we will pay attention to ensuring that the Arts in School Programme is implemented in all provinces. As part of our Community Arts Project and developing performances in the rural areas, we will be participating in the establishment of a community arts centres in Muyexe in Limpopo this year. We will also be hosting a traditional music and dance festival in Muyexe.
We are doing all of this to ensure mass participation in arts and culture, especially by young people throughout the length and breadth of our country. We must not fail in these initiatives because the youth are the future of our country. Furthermore, we continue to encourage the use and promotion of all languages, especially among young people, through our programme to encourage multilingualism, and through the development of language policies and legislation.
Working together with the National Heritage Council, we have begun a process of consultation with all provinces on the implementation of the National Liberation Heritage Route. The involvement of provinces in this project can never be over emphasised. Indeed, we rely on provinces and municipalities to strengthen the process of identifying local heroes and heroines, as well as sites that will form part of the National Heritage Route. Provinces and municipalities also have a role to play in ensuring that the stories of these heroes and heroines, and the sites where they lived, are told correctly and in full.
Last year we announced the completion of a draft national policy on intangible cultural heritage. On implementation, the policy will affirm previously neglected aspects of our heritage such as folklore, performance and indigenous knowledge systems. Part of what this policy will do will be to ensure that the oral testimonies, especially of the indigenous people, the ordinary men and women of our country, are recorded as part of our history and are passed on to future generations. We will therefore rely on provinces to mobilise local communities to bring forward their perspective and experiences.
Part of the reconstruction and development of our country requires that we pay attention to the moral regeneration of our society. Moral regeneration is central to the objective of promoting the positive values and fully entrenching the values of ubuntu within our society.
The Department of Arts and Culture will therefore continue to work with the Moral Regeneration Movement in promoting the renewal of our society. This year we will participate in activities that form part of Moral Regeneration Month in July, to be held in the North West Province. Furthermore, the department will this year undertake research into moral regeneration initiatives throughout the country to assess their impact on our society.
In conclusion, let me start by thanking members of the select portfolio committee for their oversight on the work of the Department of Arts and Culture. I also wish to thank MECs from the various provinces and provincial Departments of Arts and Culture for working well with us as we together build this nation and promote social cohesion.
Let me also thank the Director-General, managers and staff of the Departments of Arts and Culture for their hard work, and for ensuring that we remain focused on the task at hand. Finally, I take this opportunity to wish our national team, Bafana Bafana, well during the World Cup. We have no doubt that they will indeed do their best to make us proud. Afrika ke nako! [Africa now is the time!] Ke a leboga. [Thank you.] [Applause.]
MS M W MAKGATE
THE DEPUTY MINISTER OF ARTS AND CULTURE
Ms M W MAKGATE: Chairperson, hon members, Deputy Minister of Arts and Culture ...
Setswana:
E re kwa ntlheng ke baakanye ...
English:
... Deputy Minister, we are the Select Committee on Arts and Culture and not the portfolio committee. Today I feel privileged to participate in this important debate on arts and culture.
On 26 June 1955, 55 years and 30 days ago, the real Congress of the People, the ANC, adopted the Freedom Charter in Kliptown. Under one of the Freedom Charter's headings -
The doors of learning and culture shall be opened!
is stated, and I quote:
The government shall discover, develop and encourage national talent for the enhancement of our cultural life.
In order to attain the Freedom Charter's objectives, we need policies or frameworks that will speak to the social, cultural and economic advancement of vulnerable and marginalised groups, especially the disabled, youth, women and children.
The strategic framework of the department states that it has a learnership programme that aims to recruit 20 learners for the current financial year, 2010-11. It is a good initiative. The question remains though: Does it give practical expression to the ANC's policy position on skills development? Is this adequate enough to meet the President's call in his state of the nation address on the pace of delivery to the people, as per the mandate of the Freedom Charter?
The department's strategic framework lacks clarity on how much is budgeted for to realise its objectives. The department fails to give budget breakdowns under Programme 1: Administration to indicate how the budget is linked to the department's priorities.
In my previous speech I spoke about youth and women training. The department responded positively by including youth as a target group, and this we welcome. Programmes should include other target groups such as women and people with disabilities; the reason being that we have an obligation to ensure that artists are adequately trained to unleash their potential in order to participate in the economic development of our country.
According to the department's strategic framework, more emphasis is placed on the commemoration of Women's Day and the Women's Art Festival and campaigns, than on activities focusing on the socioeconomic empowerment of women through training, skills, and participation and opportunities in the arts, culture and heritage sector.
The National Language Service's objective is to develop, promote and protect all official languages through policy formulation and implementation. On close scrutiny, the impact of the department's programmes on other departments is very minimal, for example, Grades R to 8 are expected to be taught in and to use their mother tongue, but they are facing the challenge of learning materials not being available in the indigenous languages. The issue of materials not being in indigenous languages in our libraries is still a challenge. Equally so, as parents we have a responsibility to encourage and teach our children our own languages and to be proud of our culture, lest they become a generation without identity.
Setswana:
Go utlwisa botlhoko go fitlhela bana ba rona ba sa itse puo ya rona ya SeAforika. Go utlwisa botlhoko gape le go lemoga rona batsadi re ikgatlha gore ngwana ga a itse Setswana mme o bua Seesimane fela. Selo se se dira gore bana ba rona ba fitlhele ba inyatsa, bana ba rona ba sa kgone go itse setso sa bona le go itlhaloganya gore ke bomang.
Gape go sa itse puo ga bana ba rona go dira kgolagano ya bona magareng ga bona le bonkgolo le borremogolo bokete gonne ga ba kgone go nna fa fatshe go tlotla le bona gore ba kgone go itse dilo tse di diragetseng mo nakong e e fetileng le setso sa bona. A jaaka MaAforika re rotloetse bana ba rona go itse puo ya bona. A re dire jaaka MaAforekanere. Bana ba bua Seesimane fa ba le kwa sekolong, fa ba fitlha kwa gae ba bua Afrikaans.
English:
According to the department's current budget, the allocation to community libraries is R512,660 million, which is 21% of the department's budget. The budget is intended to promote access to information for the visually impaired by extending library services and co-ordinating Braille production. But these services are not available in most of our libraries in the smaller towns and rural areas.
The budget also aims to facilitate the establishment of the new community libraries and upgrade the existing ones through conditional grants. However, challenges remain, for example underspending by provincial departments. As the President said in his state of the nation address, we need clear policy interventions that are outcomes driven. This will enable us to pick up early on such matters.
On the issue of name changes, name changes are a necessary process. It has the potential to promote national reconciliation if properly handled. It should be based on the clear principles aimed at changing colonial and apartheid-era names, while equally preserving the positive aspects that reflect our history and the need to restore the proud heritage of the indigenous people.
There is a need to accommodate diversity in our national heritage and have inclusive and democratic processes. We call on other parties to see this as a necessary process in which everyone should participate - and not only when it suits them through court interdicts - in order to contribute towards national reconciliation.
Setswana:
Re lebeletse thata go tswa mo Lefapheng la Botaki le Setso jaaka e le lona le le tla agang setšhaba sa Aforika Borwa. Ke batla go bua ka kgang ke e, e re fitlhelang re na le maitemogelo a yona go tswa kwa Bokone Bophirima. Ngwaga le ngwaga go na le moletlo o o tshwariwang o o bidiwang Taung Cultural Calabash. Morago go tshware moletlo o mongwe kwa Potchefstroom kwa Tlokwe o o bidiwang Aardlop National Arts Festival. Ke batla go tlhalosa gore fa o ya kwa Taung Cultural Calabash ke batho ba bantsho fela mme fa o ya kwa Aardloop National Arts Festival, ke moletlo wa batho basweu fela. Bothata ba me ka meletlo e ke gore re dirisa chelete ya lefapha go rotloetsa kgaogano go na le gore re age setšhaba. Go ya ka nna, fa re sa tlhokomele selo se, ke rona jaaka lefapha re tsweletsang kgaogano ya merafe ya Aforika Borwa.
Kwa bokhutlhong, ke batla go nopola se se tlhageletseng mo Sowetan sa gore Rre Ivan Khoza o a leboga; o itumelela gore Sejana sa Lefatshe se dirile tiro e e botlhokwa thata ya go ruta batho ba rona go tlhaloganya le go itse matshwao a rona a bosetšhaba. Le rona re iponetse gore batho ba le bantsi ba itumetse ba itse le go opela Pina ya Bosetšhaba. Le nna jaaka ke eme fa ke itse go e opela.
English:
In conclusion, in about 15 days from today, we will be the opening one of the biggest events in South Africa on behalf of Africa, the 2010 Fifa World Cup. We need to extend our inherited "ubuntu-ness" to our global visitors in order for them to share their experiences with others back home and crave to come back to our beloved motherland. The ANC supports the Budget Vote. I thank you. [Applause.]
The CHAIRPERSON OF THE NCOP: Just before I continue, hon Lewis Nzimande, we have been informed that you have not been well over the past few weeks. We are thankful that you have recovered so soon and that you have joined us again. On behalf of the NCOP, we welcome you and are thankful for your recovery. [Applause.]
Mr M J R DE VILLIERS
MRS MAKGATE
Mr M J R DE VILLIERS: Hon Chairperson, Ministers, Deputy Ministers, hon members and guests. It is an honour to take part in this debate of the Department of Arts and Culture.
The department receives an allocation of R2,63 billion from Treasury. These funds are for the funding of the six of the planned programmes of the department. What is obvious about the funding is that administration has a nominal change of 7,24% and a real change of 0,51%. Arts and culture in society has a decrease of -16,94% in nominal change and -22,15% in real change over the 2009-10 to 2010-11 budgets.
Programme 3: National Language Services has a decrease of -6,08% real change. Cultural development and international co-operation has a decrease of -9,52% real change and heritage promotions has a decrease of -23,58% real change. National Archives, Records, Libraries and Heraldic Services has a real change of -10,14% over the 2009-10 and 2010-11 budgets years.
The department has many challenges and the allocation of funds raises questions if the department expects to reach the critical goals set by them.
In Programme 2, the department struggled to achieve the following:
firstly, access to the arts and education training in the Correctional Service Programme and the Youth Enrichment Programme in all provinces; secondly, the establishment of the language units in government departments and the provincial language policies; and
thirdly, the standardisation of geographical names, nationally, provincially and locally; and making popular South Africa's national orders and symbols.
I received this information from the researcher of the Parliament's documents. Many other challenges have been mentioned in this document. On the last challenge, the department said in its presentation that they experienced a lot of problems with role-players, especially in following the correct procedures in the process of name changes.
To solve the problem it is necessary to develop, revise and sharpen the regulations and do extensive advocacy so that everybody can understand what is expected from them when it comes to name changes. The problem of time and money wasted can be solved by this process. The respect and dignity in honouring our national orders and symbols are very much to be sharpened. This is key to nation-building in society.
Very few people and children have any knowledge of our national orders, symbols and anthems; how to display it, how to honour it, how to sing it, how and when to showcase it. We must educate the whole nation extensively in the understanding of our national orders and symbols. We will need money to run the programme extensively, therefore the real decrease of minus 6,08% in this programme is problematic.
The development of our youth in communities and in prisons is very important because they are the new South African nation. The quality of the new citizens of South Africa must be secured and developed, now, and not later. One of the good characteristics drawn out of the Fifa 2010 World Cup is the weakness about the knowledge of our national orders and symbols.
Another problem that the department has in the Cultural and International Co-operation Programme is that government departments must direct a clear mandate of who is responsible to build this in society and internationally. We cannot allow the situation that when it comes to the allocation of funds, then there is a viewpoint that the Department of International Relations is the mandatory department. A memorandum of understanding and co-operation must be signed to solve this problem.
If we want to develop our youth, it is very important that government must have a clear and directed plan of programmes on how to address the many shortcomings in community and school libraries. It is of great concern that none of the provinces has a policy on libraries. I know that school libraries are the mandate of the Department of Education but we, as well as the department must play a role to see how we can solve that problem.
We know that to address the legacy of apartheid only 7,23% of public schools have functional libraries, is a huge challenge. It is in its document, "We can't afford not to," by Equal Education 2010, it is stated that by careful financial planning it is feasible for the government to phase in functional school libraries countrywide. Government must develop a strategic plan and implementation programme to address the problem. This will need government to restructure the funding and strategic objectives and programmes in a discipline and responsible manner.
Chairperson, one of our valuable assets is the Robben-Island Museum and we must get the managing and everything which goes with these museums and others right and functional because South Africa is unique in her diversity. The Department of Arts and Culture is the only department that can do this in all its programmes, but must never forget that it is integral to have an interdepartmental and public sector relationship with all role-players.
Allow me to thank the department for doing their utmost best with the available funding in service delivery in arts and culture as a whole. I thank you, Chairperson. [Applause.]
Mrs W P ZONDI
Mr M DE VILLIERS
IsiZulu :
Nk W P ZONDI: Sihlalo, ngiyabonga ukuthola leli thuba lokuba ngikhulume lapha, ngizoqala ngokuthi ngibonge inkulumo kamhlonishwa uNgqongqoshe uLulu Xingwana. Inkulumo yakhe ikhuthaze kakhulu yenza nathi KwaZulu-Natali sizibone ukuthi sisemgqeni nekhwela likaMongameli wezwe elithi "Ngokubambisana singenza okuningi".
Ngaphandle kokuchitha isikhathi, uMnyango Wezobuciko Namasiko ube usuphuma emahhovisi waya phansi kubantu, komasipala, eminyangweni, kubantu wayosebenzisana nabo ngenhloso yokwenza abantu ukuthi bazi amasiko nobuciko ukuthi kungamagugu abo. Kodwa, akusiyona into yokuhlomulisa ezinye izizwe, abanye abantu noma ogombelakwesakhe abazinothisa ngomnotho wabo.
Lokhu ngikusho ngoba KwaZulu-Natali sinomasipala abayishumi nanye, esithi imikhandlu yezifunda. Umnyango wethu uhambile-ke wayosekela amabhizinisi okubambisana kulabomasipala. Sakha abantu abazokwazi ukuthi uma ngabe kuqalwa umsebenzi, uqalwa ngomama noma yintsha lapha phansi, kodwa uthole ukuthi kufika abantu sebewuthatha lowo msebenzi bawudayise emazweni banothe ngawo. Uthole ukuthi labantu abalaphaya basadla imbuya ngothi, abahlomuli lutho kuloko.
UMnyango Wezobuciko Namasiko awubhekelele lokhu kuphela, uphinde ubhekelele ukuthi omasipala bethu abebesele ngemuva - ngoba sizokhumbula ukuthi KwaZulu-Natali ngonyaka ka-2004 lapho sakwazi ukuthi sifeze izinhloso zoMqulu Wenkululeko. Lapho sithi abantu bayowabelana ngomcebo. Lapho sikwazile ukuthi siphume sisebenze, ngoba inkululeko ifike kamuva KwaZulu-Natali.
Ngaleyondlela umnyango ube usuya komasipala wahlela nabo ngoba kuqala into ebiyenzeka bekuthi uma kuzokwakhiwa izindlu kwakhelwa abantu noma kuzokwakhiwa ilokishi, bekungabi nandaba nokuthi uma labantu bakhelwe, zikhona yini izindawo zokungcebeleka, nezindawo zokuthi benze izinto ezingamasiko abo, zibekhona ngesikhathi kuqalwa kuhlelwa.
Lomnyango wethu ukwazile ukuthi uma kuzokwakhiwa izindlu noma ngabe iyiphi intuthuko, ubhekelele ukuthi izindawo zamasiko nezemidlalo zikhona. IKwaZulu-Natali yisifundazwe esehlukene kakhulu, isenezindawo zasemakhaya. Uma ukhuluma ngedolobha, ukhuluma ngoMgungundlovu neTheku nje kuphela. Uma usuwehla uhambela bonke omasipala uthola ukuthi kuhlushekiwe laphaya, abantu abathuthukile. Yikho lokhu obekwenza ukuthi abantu banqwabelane ezindaweni ezisemadolobheni.
Yilokhu okwenziwa umnyango wethu ukuthi abantu baqale bathole izinsizakuphila ezindaweni abakuzo. Ikakhulukhazi umnyango uqale wasabalalisa imitapo yolwazi lapho abantu bakwaZulu-Natali bezokwazi ukuthola ulwazi, bafunde ngezinto zabo ezindaweni abakuzona. Abantu bangagcini ngenkathi mhlambe kade bemelwe uthisha esikoleni, uma ebuya lapho uyolusa izinkomo, bese ekuseni kube yima eyobonana nothisha. Kodwa namhlanje abantwana bakwaZulu-Natali ezindaweni abakuzona bayakwazi ukuthi baphume bayofunda emntapweni wolwazi.
Akugcinanga lapho, uMnyango Wezobuciko Namasiko ukwazile ukuthi usebenzise abasebenzi bawo abagxile kakhulu kwezolimi. Sinebhuku eselinamacwecwe angama-350 eseliphelile elihlanganise isiZulu nesiNgisi. Okusho ukuthi bonke abantu baseNingizimu Afrika bakhululekile ukufunda ngolimi abakhululeke ngalo KwaZulu-Natali. Lokhu sikwenza nje ... Ngiyabonga. [Kuphele Isikhathi.][Ihlombe.]
MS M G BOROTO
MR M J R DE VILLIERS
Ms M G BOROTO: Chairperson, hon Deputy Minister, Mr Paul Mashatile, hon members of the NCOP, MECs from different provinces,
Director-General, Mr Wakashe and distinguished guests, I would like to premise my input on the Budget Vote on Arts and Culture from the policy perspective of the ANC. As the ANC, we forthrightly support Budget Vote No 13.
The slogan, Ready to Govern, adopted by the ANC in 1992 as its policy, was reflected in arts and culture in the following manner. Policy recognises that well-stocked libraries should be established throughout the country, in both rural and urban centres, to encourage a reading culture among our people.
The ruling party and government are on record as promoting social cohesion since the dawn of democracy in 1994. The ruling party still recognises the importance of building social cohesion through heritage, arts and culture, and sports and recreation. It is through building social cohesion that you can truly build a nation.
South Africa emerged out of a troubled history. For the first time since the conquest of these shores, we are enjoying democratic freedoms. The collision of cultures does not necessarily lead to the subjugation and hegemony. It may also lead to subtle cross- pollination of ideas, words, customs, art forms, culinary and religious practices.
This dynamic interaction has always played a role in cultural enrichment which has resulted in an extraordinary fertile and unique South African culture that binds our nation in linguistic, cultural, culinary and religious diversity in so many forms.
South Africa has a challenge in the dominance of certain languages over others. There is a need to balance this factor. All languages are recognised and given the same status in the Constitution. All South Africans should be free to use any South African language of their choice in dealing with the state.
Within reasonable limitations, steps should be taken to ensure that no citizens who are illiterate or whose knowledge of a particular language are limited are thereby impeded in their access to public services or in the realisation of their rights as citizens.
Hence we are saying that even those languages spoken by South Africans such as Portuguese, Hindi, Hebrew, and so forth, should be respected and promoted.
In view of the fact that the film and video industry has been dominated by the influence of commercial forces, the ANC believes that a national control mechanism should be strengthened. Such a mechanism should be responsible for the administration of the public funds set aside for the development of the film and the video industry.
This structure should look at the viability of establishing professional training centres in film and video, and conducting research into the structure of the industry in the local communities.
Therefore, further funds for the arts should be raised from the private sector and taxes that were raised on local and overseas commercial exploitation of our cultural background. The creative arts industry is one of the growing industries in our society. It is one sector that promotes entrepreneurship and contributes towards
Job creation, skills development and economic empowerment of many people, especially those in rural communities.
Cultural development and internal co-operation combined, allocated a total of R139,5 million towards cultural development and investment in cultural projects. The committee challenges the department to assist the poor with developing business plans and accessing that funding.
According to the President, in his state of the nation address, the role of arts and culture he alluded to was encouraged by the vision of an inclusive society, a country which belongs to all, a nation united in its diversity, and people working together for the greater good of all.
Our beautiful Constitution is a cornerstone of our cultural development. There is a strong connection between our Constitution and the cultural principle of Ubuntu. Our liberation as a people will be judged by the extent to which our cultures develop. As such, development does not take place in a historical vacuum.
The Strategy and Tactics document of the ANC articulated that cultural heritage promotion should encourage nation-building and unity in diversity. It must ensure tradition, religious expression and other belief systems are consistent with the values of our country's Constitution.
We have managed to build a new South Africa through our acknowledgement of cultural diversity and cultural heritage that exists in the country. This has allowed us to embrace our differences and to live in harmony with one another. Coming from Mpumalanga ...
IsiNdebele:
. . . ngizikhakhazisa ngokuthi eMpumalanga siyithathela ehloko indaba le yamasiko, ubukghwari namagugu kufikela ekutheni . . .
English:
... we are proud of Nothembi Mkhwebane who had the national Order of iKhamanga in silver bestowed upon her by the hon President Jacob Zuma on Freedom Day. She received this honour for putting the Ndebele music on the world stage. [Applause.]
IsiNdebele:
Singapheleli lapho, begodu sinoJinda obuya kwaNyamazane, ...
English:
... who recently won a South African traditional music award for the best traditional album in Siswati.
IsiNdebele:
Asipheleli lapho, Sihlalo, sithi thina njengabantu ababuya eMpumalanga, ...
English:
... our MEC, Comrade Shongwe, is so serious about libraries that four new ones are going to be built in different municipalities and there will be upgrades in other municipalities.
In conclusion, South Africa is hosting a prestigious Fifa Soccer World Cup in June this year. The nations of this world will not only converge on our country, but will display their divergent cultures. South Africa took this opportunity to display its own cultures and this will be witnessed at the opening of the Fifa Soccer World Cup on 11 June 2010. Various forms of art will be presented to the whole world to admire and inspire.
I am thus excited by the hosting of the Soccer World Cup and its potential to present our culture to the people of the world. The ANC will continue to encourage an exchange between the people of South Africa and the rest of the world.
In building a caring society, let us join hands and work together towards developing and preserving South African culture in order to ensure social cohesion and nation-building. The select committee supports the Budget Vote. I thank you. [Applause.]
MS J HARTNICK
MS M G BOROTO
Ms J HARTNICK (Wstern Cape): Chairperson, hon Deputy Minister, Paul Mashatile, hon members, the national Department of Arts and Culture's budget allocation of R2 406 billion represents a growth of 25,5% from R1,3 billion in 2006-07 to R2,6 billion in 2009-10. It is noted that this growth was mainly due to the additional expenditure required as conditional grants for capital projects such as developing Freedom Park, upgrading and maintaining declared cultural institutions and improving public and community library services.
The co-ordination of the funding of the literary, visual and performing arts between the various government departments, the National Arts Council, provinces and its various structures as well as the Lottery Trust Fund to ensure sustainability, has become a matter of urgency.
While government is providing various funding mechanisms, the arts, culture and heritage community must understand its responsibility to ensure good governance when it accesses public funding, whether it is from public funds or from donors. The Western Cape Province is looking forward to discussing the proposed partnerships regarding the national department's arts, culture and heritage programmes for women, children and persons with inabilities in 2010.
Afrikaans:
Daar is kennis geneem van die onlangse uitspraak van die Hooggeregshof in Pretoria, rakende die noodsaaklikheid vir die Departement van Kuns en Kultuur om nasionale wetgewing te ontwikkel, rakende die gelyke status van die elf amptelike tale.
Dit is ook nodig dat nouer samewerking plaasvind tussen die taaldienste van die nasionale en provinsiale regerings, sowel as dié van munisipaliteite en die taalontwikkelingsliggame wat by universiteite gesetel is.
English:
In the Western Cape, a provincial language policy was developed in 2000. The Western Cape Department of Cultural Affairs and Sport, together with its partner, the Western Cape Language Committee, is responsible for oversight on the implementation of the provincial language policy as well as the provision of language services, translation, editing and interpretation, to all departments in the Provincial Government of the Western Cape.
Aligned to the constitutional mandates, and in ensuring the equal status of the three official languages of the Western Cape, it is important to bear in mind that an active process of promoting the previously marginalised indigenous languages - this includes isiXhosa as a marginalised official language and the Khoi, Nama and San languages, as well as sign language and deaf awareness - needs to be maintained by means of awareness programmes across our province and in all the provincial departments and organs of state.
As far as the promotion of marginalised languages is concerned, it is worth noting that the Western Cape Department of Cultural Affairs and Sport received the Pan South African Language Board, PanSALB, Multilingualism Award for the Public Sector. It was received from the PanSALB Language Board in March 2010, for its campaign to promote multilingualism through its Nama project.
The Department of Arts and Culture indicated that it promotes job creation, skills development and economic empowerment; and supports business start-ups and poverty alleviation projects, through its Investing in Culture programme.
A question that arises, however, is: How sustainable are
some of these projects that are funded through this programme and how does this interact with local economic development strategies as well as provincial economic development strategies?
The Department of Arts and Culture is responsible for administering the cultural agreements that the South African government has entered into over the last 15 years. However, it has become necessary that international co-operation in arts, culture and heritage should be co-ordinated between the national and provincial spheres, given the fact that all provinces do have bilateral agreements with other regional governments. Both national and provincial government initiatives should complement one other.
Afrikaans:
Die nasionale Departement van Kuns en Kultuur beoog om gedurende die jaar 'n nuwe nasionale raamwerk te ontwikkel vir die befondsing en gradering van al die departement se statutêre instellings, en meer spesifiek, museums.
Die Wes-Kaap verwelkom hierdie doelwit, aangesien dit noodsaaklik is om te bepaal wat verstaan word onder nasionale museums, soos vervat in die Grondwet.
Provinsies moet op hulle beurt weer die ekslusiewe wetgewende bevoegdheid uitoefen ten opsigte van museums anders as nasionale museums. Tans is daar geen definisie van wat 'n nasionale museum is nie en maak dit die wêreld uiters moeilik vir provinsies om hulle grondwetlike mandaat uit te voer.
Tien persent van Afrika se museums is in die Wes-Kaap gevestig. Dit is dus noodsaaklik dat 'n nuwe museumbeleid en wetgewing, nie net op nasionale vlak, maar ook op provinsiale vlak, gefinaliseer word. Die nuwe konsep museumbeleid van die Wes-Kaap word binnekort bekendgestel vir kommentaar.
Dringende wysigings is nodig aan veral die Nasionale Erfenishulpbronnewet van 1999, om sekere tekortkominge en uitdagings aan te spreek. Die meeste daarvan is uitgewys in die Heritage Legislation Review Report, wat deur die nasionale departement geloods is. Die Wes-Kaap Provinsie word veral gekonfronteer met van hierdie uitdagings.
English:
As a lead department in social cohesion, the museum service and provincial museums will host a number of events on public holidays and other commemorative special and historic days, including the Freedom Day commemoration, International Museums Day and Heritage Day. Earlier this year, the department, together with the Department of Economic Development and Tourism, commissioned a study to assess the impact of the heritage sector on the economy of the Western Cape.
South Africa, and also the Western Cape, has a rich natural and cultural heritage. Heritage Western Cape, the provincial heritage resource authority responsible for the promotion and preservation of heritage resources in our Western Cape Province, has declared three archaeological heritage sites on the West Coast as provincial heritage sites.
A fourth one, the Community House Building here in Cape Town, was gazetted on 19 February 2010. During the current year, Heritage Western Cape will continue its efforts in engaging with communities in the province to identify and protect its rich and culturally diverse heritage.
The allocations for the community library services conditional grant will be extended over the MTEF period until 2012-13. The National Library Service funds libraries and institutions must provide information services and develop related policy. It is noted that the new national library in Pretoria was completed in 2008-O9, seemingly funded, to a large degree, from the conditional grant for community libraries.
These are praiseworthy objectives. However, the funding of an effective, efficient and economic public library service aligned with the Constitutional mandate remains one of our country's greatest challenges. It is hoped that a solution for the funding of public libraries will be finalised as a matter of urgency in order to regularise the situation between the provincial and local spheres of government in all nine provinces.
In 2009, 43 libraries were built or upgraded. I am happy to report that the national Department of Arts and Culture and Public Works, the Western Cape department of cultural affairs and sport and transport and public works in the Western Cape, have reached an agreement on the transfer of the two buildings that house the Western Cape Archives and Records Management Service.
Finally, the Provincial Government of the Western Cape would like to thank the Minister, the Deputy Minister and the national Department of Arts and Culture for the support and co-operation we receive. Let us take hands and use Arts and Culture to help build a socially cohesive society for all our inhabitants. I thank you. [Applause.]
DR U KEERATH
Ms J HARTNICK (WESTERN CAPE)
Dr U KEERATH: Chair, hon Ministers, members of the Council, it was Amilcar Cabril who described cultural practise as an act of liberation. I want to go a step further and say it is an act of decolonisation of our minds. Therefore, culture is the repertoire of our behaviour, the essence of who we are, our identity and our sense of belonging. Therefore, the manner in which we spend our public finances must contribute to the development of the soul of the province and promote its cultural liberation.
The Department of Arts and Culture must enhance, grow, protect, regulate and trade the art and cultural artefacts. To me, this remains a serious challenge and a void that requires strategic thinking and careful consideration.
Coupled with this, we must protect our hard-earned heritage. We must protect our small entrepreneurs, our beaders in the rural areas and those who deal with arts and cultural artefacts. I stress this point because the illicit trading in arts and cultural artefacts has recently increased dramatically.
We have to recognise that the arts have incubators and catalysts to impart new skills and we must make sure that our artists are given a creative space to give birth to their talents.
We know that museums and galleries showcase great products of human creativity and innovation. Museums are also said to be the repository of culture and must be given pre-eminence. Good art always finds an audience. How true! But art is also vulnerable to commercial exploitation.
Hon members, I want to stress that we do need social policy experiments, but we also need engagement. We are still in the struggle to counter cultural imperialism. We know all too well that Western culture almost provides diffusion and dilution of African culture. We will know that if we study the case of Solomon Linda, the composer of the world renowned song, Imbube, which was played in the blockbuster film, The Lion King. Therefore, securing the intellectual property rights for our provincial musicians is crucially important. We need buy-in from them.
Our cultural liberation must encourage nation-building, social cohesion and unity in diversity. This will be the basis for all practical coexistence, and it will further foster solidarity and inclusivity.
It is further worrying to note that we need to ensure the acceptance and utilisation of all African languages. It is said that languages, the conveyor of one's culture, is the mode of communication. It takes various forms such as music, dance and the performing arts. If the department fails in this mandate, we shall have failed not only our province, but the entire country. We need to capitalise on indigenous languages; we need a revival of some sort.
While it is heartening to learn that the provincial department of arts and culture is said to provide bursaries to students interested in arts and culture and language studies, more needs to be done.
In conclusion, we must always keep in mind that our heritage contributes to redressing past inequalities; it educates; deepens our understanding of society and encourages us to emphasise experiences of others; facilitates healing and material and symbolic restitution; and it promotes new and previously neglected research into our rich oral traditions.
Let us not fail our people. Let us enhance our cultural and linguistic practices. Let us ensure the full realisation of our people's rights, especially the social and cultural rights. And let us go forward in promoting our indigenous language.
Ngiyabonga kakhulu Sihlalo. [Thank you very much, Deputy Chair.] [Applause.]
Mr D B FELDMAN
Dr U KEERATH
The DEPUTY CHAIRPERSON OF THE NCOP: Before the hon member Feldman, may I actually extend recognition to our visitors from Correctional Services. Thank you very much for your presence. [Applause.]
Mr D B FELDMAN: Deputy Chairperson, hon Deputy Minister, hon members, guests - promoting arts and culture for social cohesion - South Africa is the world's most unequal society. The gap between the rich and poor is really a huge gulf.
As a result, the majority of the people in our country, our society, are excluded from one another. As President Mbeki pointed out, we are two separate nations. We cannot afford to go in different ways. We need to achieve cohesion. If for the next four years the art programmes were to concentrate on promoting social cohesion, we would have moved forward. We must set ourselves targets.
With regard to Art and Culture programmes, in many countries of the world the arts and culture contribute significantly to gross domestic product, GDP. We also have so much to offer because we are a world in one country; east, west and the whole of Africa intermingle here. We need to see the volume of products from across the various arts and culture genres growing on a yearly basis. We need such goods for domestic consumption and export.
Arts and culture programmes should also have a concentrated focus on youth, especially the girl child. Our children should understand the significance of education, lifestyle and constitutional freedom.
With regard to the promotion of linguistic diversity, language is a vital element in building source of cohesion and achieves empowerment. Language also plays a vital role in education. Today, vocabulary deficiency has become one of most serious problems facing young people. One child who has no vocabulary deficit will not progress academically. How will this department support the Department of Education to overcome this vocabulary deficit among learners?
If the vocabulary deficit can be overcome through a massive one-year programme, the country would immediately witness a turnaround in educational performance, and this is a magic key.
With regard to the support and cultural industries, cultural industries especially in rural areas must get technological and marketing support.
Cope believes that the department needs to vigorously support an advance manufacturing strategy. Rural crafters should be incorporated into co-operatives. This should be done as a matter of urgency.
Asian countries like India and Thailand receive considerable foreign exchange earnings from the export of products developed by cultural practitioners.
In transforming the heritage sector, we are a country of diverse culture, values and beliefs. While this contributes to our heritage, it has also kept us apart. We need a concerted drive to achieve a common national identity. The heritage sector must help to transform us into people with a common national identity. This is a matter of extreme urgency and this department dare not fail the nation.
Finally, in a few days to come, the kick-off will take place. Are the heritage institutions of South Africa geared to take up the opportunity to showcase the full extent of our heritage? The media will be here in massive numbers to reflect South Africa to the world. Has the Minister herself devised the programme to receive the media and to provide the media with heritage information?
I wish the Minister would produce a cultural heritage blueprint as it is essential. As Cope, we would also like to see a programme of apprenticeship being launched so that young people can be drawn into the heritage sector. The heritage sector must be identified as an area of growth.
In conclusion, our South African culture must be an amalgamation of the different cultures of our country, incorporating the inherent particularities of each region. Our cultural life must be very dynamic and must serve as a catalyst for something new. This is a challenge to all our artists. I thank you. [Applause.]
Umntwana M M M ZULU
Mr D B FELDMAN
IsiZulu :
Umntwana M M M ZULU: Sekela Sihlalo, mhlonishwa Ngqongqoshe, Phini likaNgqongqoshe, Nhloko Yomnyango...
IPHINI LIKASIHLALO WENDLU: Yima kancane mhlonoshwa.
English:
Mr K A Sinclair: Chairperson, I am rising on a point of order: Is it parliamentary for a member to read a paper during the debate?
The DEPUTY CHAIRPERSON OF THE NCOP: Who is it?
Mr K A Sinclair: Sorry, Deputy Chairperson. Hon Gunda is reading about Cope in the newspaper. [Laughter.]
The DEPUTY CHAIRPERSON OF THE NCOP: Order, order! Hon Gunda, could you please bring that paper here. [Laughter.]
Hon Gunda, I gave you an order. Continue, hon Zulu.
IsiZulu :
Umntwana M M M ZULU: Phini likaNgqongqoshe ngonyaka odlule sishilo ukuthi umnyango wakho ubhekene nezinselele zokuthi ulinganise izilinganiso zezilimi zabomdabu kulelizwe ngendlela enokucophelela.
Siyazi-ke manje ukuthi sikhuluma nge-Fifa 2010 World cup, lapho kufanele sibonise ubuciko ngamaphimbo ethu ase-Afrika, kanye nezandla zethu njengabantu base-Afrika, nangendlela yethu yokugqoka. Akufanele nakancane senze ithuba kulelizwekazi lakithi laseNingizimi Afrika ne-Afrika yonke, lapho siyozithola khona sibeke abantu abacula njengabaculi baseMelika o-Lurther Vandross. Ngoba labantu bangaphandle babheke ukuthi ngisho ukuthi, "Uyamemeza okaNdaba oyiNkosi yohlanga", uma belapha bezwe kahle ukuthi base-Afrika.
Ngithi ngicela kunina ukuthi lezi zimili zethu nizifakele imali ngobuningi bayo. Lapho kwenziwa khona imisebenzi yezandla emakhaya, nifake imali ngobuningi bayo ezinhlelweni zenu zomnyango. Ngiyezwa umhlonishwa uthi imitapo yolwazi ikhona - futhi kuyiqiniso lokho. Kodwa ngicabanga ingane ehlala oSuthu izokhokha ama R20 iya emtapweni wolwazi kwaNongoma, ihambe amakhilomitha amgama 45.
Ngiyafisa ukuthi uhulumeni wethu uzibheke izindawo zasemakhaya, ukuthi abantu bayakwazi yini ukusizakala. Ngoba uma sikhuluma ngemitapo yolwazi sikhuluma ngezinto ezikude nabantu nokuthi bafinyelele kuzo. Kodwa siyabonga ukuthi kukhona okwenzekayo okuya phambili. Ekwenzeni imisebenzi yezandla kufanele sikubheke njengoba noMongameli wezwe asho ukuthi lelizwe lethu linothe ngokwamasiko. Ngakho-ke kufanele sikubonakalise ngempela ukuthi izwe lethu linothe ngokwamasiko.
Ngiye ngizwe kuthiwa izwe lethu i - Rainbow Nation, ngiye ngithi mina yisaladi elibhorayo lelo [its boring salad], ngoba nami ngingumZulu ngeke ngakuyeka ukuthi ngithi,"Uyamemeza okaNdaba oyiNkosi yohlanga", ngoba yilokho engikholelwa kukho. Ngiyazi nowaseLusuthu ngeke ayeke ukukhuluma lokho akukhulumayo kwasekhaya eLusuthi, ngoba kuyinto yakhe naye akholelwa kuyo.
Ngiyamuzwa umhlonoshwa uma ethi laphaya esifundazweni sikababomkhulu uMamongo KwaZulu-Natal, inkululeko ifike ngo 2004. Ngikhuluma ngokuthi abantu bakithi bakwaZulu-Natal babephethwe yinkungu yokuthi balwe bodwa, abanye bengafuni ukubuswa. Akuzona-ke izinto okufanele sizikhulume lezi, kufanele sibheke ukuthi siyaya yini phambili, siyasebenza yini.
Ngoba kufanele ngivume uma ungehlulile ukuthi ungehlilile, ungibuse okwaleso sikhathi. Kodwa, uma ngizophikisana nawe ukuthi ungibuse, kuba nenkinga enkulu. Lowo mqondo kufanele uphele ngoba intando yeningi isebenza ngezinombolo, nokuthi ubani osephethe lapho, bese ngimhlonipha, ngimethulele isigqoko, kwenziwe umsebenzi.
Ngaphandle kwami ongeke avuma ukubuswa - njengombusi womdabu. Kufanele ngishaye umthetho njalo futhi ngibheke ukuthi uhamba kanjani lowomthetho. Kodwa-ke ngibheke ukuthi lowomthetho awushayisani yini nowezwe lakithi.
IPHINI LIKASIHLALO WENDLU: Ngiyabonga Mntwana uZulu, kodwa khumbula ukuthi intando yeningi ithini mhlonishwa.
NK B V MNCUBE
PRINCE M M M ZULU
IsiZulu:
NK B V MNCUBE: Sihlalo ngiyabonga kakhulu. Ngizoqala ngiphendule umhlonishwa ubab'u Zulu kule nkulumo agcine ngayo khona manje, ukuthi kungamampunge lawa aqeda ukuwakhuluma ukuthi inkululeko yayikhona KwaZulu ngaphambi konyaka ka2004.
UKhongolose ngemva nokubona ukuthi babusa ngegqudu wathatha amavolontiya kanye amadelakufa eGauteng naseMpumalanga, ngangingomunye wabo esathi siyaya siyogada amaphepha okuvota ngoba bekuvele kuvotwe bese kuvalwa ngemuva kokuba kubalwe base bayawina.
Sahamba sathunyelwa ePiet Ritief, oLundi naseMahlabathini, ngangiseMahlabathini mhlonishwa uZulu lapho kwakunenkinga yamabhokisi okuvota, sathi uma sihamba ekuseni ngehora lesihlanu ngelanga elilandelayo sesivotile. UKhongolose wabe esehamba phambili sathi sifika eGoli, KwaZulu-Natali bebesebenayo inkululeko.
English:
The DEPUTY CHAIRPERSON OF THE NCOP: Hon Zulu, what is it? Is it a point of order?
IsiZulu:
Ukukhalima Okuphambukayo
UMNTWANA M M M ZULU: Kugxile ekutheni uma kuvunywa uHulumeni KwaZulu-Natali ngenkathi abantu bonke bezuza inkululeko.
English:
The DEPUTY CHAIRPERSON OF THE NCOP: Ok, this is history. May I ask you to sit down?
Prince M M M ZULU: No, if you do not allow me to raise the point of order ...
The DEPUTY CHAIRPERSON OF THE NCOP: Hon Zulu, if you can sit down, I will respect you. Continue, hon Mncube.
Ms B V MNCUBE: Chairperson, Deputy Minister Paul Mashatile, we meet today, a day after the Parliament of the Republic of South Africa and the whole continent celebrated the launch of Africa Day, 47 years ago in l963. This historic day took the Freedom Charter forward. Launched in l955 by the real Congress of the People, the ANC, one of its clauses states that –
All national groups shall have equal rights!
This is further defined to mean that –
All people shall have equal right to use their own languages and to develop their own folk culture and customs.
Hence, yesterday, we saw Members of Parliament and members of civil society dressed in multiple colours, attired in bright, rainbow colours and debating in their indigenous languages.
The ANC-led government then was not wrong to establish the Pan South African Language Board, PanSALB, in order to promote and develop indigenous languages. We note, however, that whilst PanSALB has been established in almost all provinces, not much has been done to ensure that African languages are developed to the same status as English and Afrikaans, even after 16 years of democracy.
The 4% increase to Programme 3 should then ensure that it equals the
output. As members of the Select Committee on Education and Recreation, we have to ensure that we hold PanSALB and its provincial satellites accountable. A turnaround strategy is needed in order to address the concerns.
The Constitution of the Republic of South Africa guarantees South African citizens the right to cultural, religious and linguistic communities, to enjoy their culture, practice their religion and use their language, and to form, join and maintain cultural, religious and linguistic associations and other organs of civil society.
But these rights have limitations if they are practised in a manner inconsistent with any other provision of the Bill of Rights. It is against this background that we condemn, in the strongest possible terms, the hoisting of the old verkrampte flag and the singing of Die Stem, the old apartheid national anthem, by the small community of Ventersdorp during the week of the funeral of the late Terre'Blanche.
We would have expected the department, in its programme of the promotion of social enrichment, social cohesion and nation-building through arts, culture and heritage, to engage any person, or community that takes us back to apartheid period ...
The DEPUTY CHAIRPERSON OF THE NCOP: Hon Tau! Continue.
Ms B V MNCUBE: ... and threatens to reverse the hard-gained freedom. In future, we would like the department to condemn such acts and recommend that whoever is found doing the same, be charged with an act of treason. The same education syllabus that the department uses to teach children the importance of national symbols and nation-building, should be taken to Ventersdorp as a high priority.
Hon members, the ruling party, the ANC, at its 52nd conference, resolved to develop a policy that clarifies the approach to the naming and renaming of geographic places such as streets, towns and public places. It is in this vein that we welcome the plan in Programme 5 to increase the pace and ensure that there are functional district geographical names committees throughout South Africa, which will speed up the process.
We will ensure that we exercise oversight in the provinces that we are representing. For instance, there is a backlog of 34l names in Gauteng, and the current plan is to achieve l6l additional name changes.
In conclusion, we commend the department for including all political parties represented in Parliament in the celebration and commemoration of national days such as Freedom Day, Human Rights Day and Africa Day, celebrated just yesterday. May there be many more to come and we hope that they will bring their communities to celebrate with us next time. The ANC supports Budget Vote 13. I thank you.
THE DEPUTY MINISTER OF ARTS AND CULTURE
MS B V MNCUBE
IsiZulu :
IPHINI LIkANGQOGQOSHE WEZOBUCIKO NAMASIKO: Sihlalo, mangibonge amalungu wekomidi loMkhandlu weziFundazwe ...
English:
... for the manner in which they have dealt with the budget. I would like to thank the Chairperson, Mrs Makgate, and all the members.
IsiZulu:
Into yokuqala esifuna ukuyisho ukuthi sikubhale konke loku okushiwo namhlanje, njengoba nibona wonke lama sotsha ahleli laphaya, abhala konke okushiwo la eNdlini.
English:
Members have raised a number of issues around libraries, youth development, and the language.
IsiZulu:
Ngingasho Sihlalo ukuthi lemibono yonke imibono emihle kakhulu ezintweni esizenzayo, kodwa sikusho ukuthi asinayo imali yokwenza zonke lezinto esithanda ukuzenza ...
English:
... because our budget is limited. However, with the limited resources that we have, we are going to use them across all the programmes that we are supposed to implement. We do know that there were number of good ideas that came from members in their interaction with the department and also in the debate this afternoon.
Let me assure members that we have made progress on Robben Island and we have now appointed its fully-fledged board. They have already started with the process of ensuring that the place is transformed into a proper heritage site that visitors would be proud to visit. We are speeding up the process of appointing a CEO. Members would be aware that until now, we only had an acting CEO. That process is underway and we do hope that Robben Island will soon be sorted out.
Regarding the libraries, we are busy helping all the provinces. We have a dedicated conditional grant that we have been using to support provinces in rolling out libraries, particularly in previously disadvantaged areas. Let me say that the programme is currently unfolding in many areas and that libraries are being built. We are going to continue working with all the provinces to ensure that we reach out to many communities out there. Our main focus last year, and in this current financial year, was particularly on rural areas.
We are working hard to promote all official languages. We are working with the Pan South African Language Board, PanSALB, in making sure that all languages are being promoted equally. Together with PanSALB, we are working hard on that programme, trying to ensure the promotion of multilingualism in the country.
Members said a lot about youth development, and I fully agree with them. A lot of work is unfolding. The National Skills Academy will, amongst others, target a lot of young artists in their various spheres.
We are also working with the Department of Correctional Services, targeting young people in places of correction. We are also working with women, who are in correctional centres, making sure that we are promoting skills development in those sectors as well.
Sepedi:
Modulasetulo, a ke fetše ka go leboga gape maloko kamoka a Komitikgetho ya Bokgabo le Setšo, ka moo ba boletšego ka gona. Ke re re tlo šoma le bona mo ngwageng wo.
English:
We are going to make sure that we continue constructive engagement with the committee in order to address the issues that were raised as a priority, particularly, as part of nation-building and social cohesion.
I would like to end this debate by once again reminding members of the House to support Bafana Bafana. They should also go to the stadia to enjoy the games. We are welcoming all the visitors. As we have said earlier, I am sure that it is going to be a spectacular event which will be the first of its own kind in our country and in Africa. With these few words, I would like to thank the hon members of the House and members of the committee. I thank you.
Debate concluded
BUDGET VOTE NO 20 CORRECTIONAL SERVICES
THE DEPUTY MINISTER OF ARTS AND CULTURE
APPROPRIATION BILL
(Policy debate)
Debate on Budget Vote No 20-Correctional Services:
Debate on Budget Vote No 23-Justice and Constitutional Development:
The DEPUTY MINISTER OF JUSTICE AND CONSTITUTIONAL DEVELOPMENT:
Chairperson, hon members, distinguished guests, comrades and friends, ladies and gentlemen, it is a great honour and privilege to address this Council today to present the Budget Vote of the Department of Justice and Constitutional Development for the 2010-ll financial year.
I convey the warm regards, as well as the apologies, of the Minister of Justice and Constitutional Development, Minister Jeff Radebe. Min Radebe, as hon members might know, has been acting as President of the Republic since Monday.
We are pleased to address the Council during Child Protection Week, which was launched by President Jacob Zuma in Atteridgeville this past Friday. On this occasion the President called upon all South Africans to work together to ensure that children are safe and feel safe. He highlighted the serious matter of trafficking in persons and children in particular.
We are also pleased to address you the day after Africa Day, 25 May, the day on which, 57 years ago in 1963, the leaders of 30 of the 32 independent African states at the time, signed the founding charter of the Organisation of African Unity, OAU, in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.
Hon members, in exactly 15 days, nine hours and 40 minutes or so, the kick-off whistle will blow at Soccer City. [Applause.] It is indeed truly here and we are truly feeling it!
The Department of Justice and Constitutional Development is also feeling it! Last Friday, a notice was published in the Government Gazette giving details of special courts in and around the host cities. Cases associated with the World Cup, including matters affecting children, will be dealt with expeditiously. Hooligans and other perpetrators of criminal actions, whatever their nationality, will also be feeling something: the red card of the law.
The Budget Vote that we are presenting today underscores our commitment to 2010 as the year of action. It provides a clear road map with short- medium- and long-term milestones on the road to a transformed justice system.
The constitutional mandate of the Department of Justice and Constitutional Development is to oversee the administration of justice in the interests of a safer and more secure South Africa. This mandate is reflected in our vision to provide a transformed and accessible justice system which promotes and protects social justice, fundamental human rights and freedom.
The successful execution of this mandate and the realisation of this vision are indispensible to the achievement of the key national priorities that we have set for ourselves as a nation. In his 2010 state of the nation address President Jacob Zuma again stressed these national priorities. They are the creation of decent work and sustainable livelihoods, education, health, rural development, food security as well as the fight against crime and corruption. The question of access to justice is central to the realisation of these goals.
Much of our work has, therefore, been focused on ensuring that all in South Africa enjoy access to justice. Much of this work is also focused on the fight against crime and corruption, with the objective of ensuring that all in South Africa are safe and feel safe.
This work is done in the context of the Justice, Crime Prevention and Security, JCPS, cluster which is co-ordinated by the Minister of Justice and Constitutional Development and consists of the South African Police Service, Correctional Services, Home Affairs, Defence, State Security and Social Development.
The JCPS cluster has been able achieve a greater degree of integration and co-ordination of the work of its constituent departments. This is evident from the significant strides with regard to the Child Justice Act, which came into operation on 1 April 2010, and the review of the criminal justice system.
The Child Justice Act enjoins the Minister of Justice and Constitutional Development, acting in conjunction with the Ministers of Police, Correctional Services, Social Development, Education and Health, to adopt a national policy framework relating, among other things, to a uniform, co-ordinated, co-operative approach by all government departments, organs of state and institutions in dealing with matters relating to child justice.
This morning the Intersectoral Committee for Child Justice, consisting of the directors-general of the departments of the Ministers I have just mentioned and led by the Director-General of Justice, presented a draft National Policy Framework to the Portfolio Committee of Justice. I am hopeful that this framework will reach the Council soon.
I wish further to reiterate that the announcement made by the Minister that the review phase of the criminal justice system has been completed and we are now moving steadfastly with the implementation of the review outcomes.
The implementation is guided by the 7-point plan approved by Cabinet, which covers the following: aligning the strategies of the Justice Crime Prevention and Security cluster; establishing the criminal justice system co-ordinating unit; improving court performance; a case backlog reduction strategy; modernising information technology; mobilising the public to get involved in the fight against crime; and harmonising the rules of court.
Our road map to a transformed justice system is outlined in our 2010-14 Medium-Term Strategic Framework. This framework was presented to and discussed with the Portfolio Committee on Justice and Constitutional Development as well as this Council's Select Committee on Security and Constitutional Development. We are indebted to the members of the committee, from all parties, and, should I say provinces, for their comments and guidance.
We believe that the outputs contained in the strategy are both realistic and achievable. I would like to highlight some of the key elements of this strategy, emphasising those aspects with particular relevance to the Council.
Chairperson, allow me, firstly, to address the very important and long overdue matter of judicial reform.
During the Budget Vote debate in the National Assembly, the Minister announced that the Constitution Amendment Bill and the Superior Courts Bill had been finalised and approved by Cabinet. I wish to highlight key aspects of this legislation.
The Constitution Amendment Bill proposes to replace Magistrate's Courts with Lower Courts, fully integrating the magistracy into a single judiciary. This is more than a mere name change. The proposed court system envisages Superior Courts and Lower Courts as part of a seamless, single judiciary under the leadership of the Chief Justice.
The Superior Courts Bill in turn provides for the Judges President to give leadership to all courts within their respective divisions. This will address certain challenges in the governance and leadership structures within the magistracy. The Council became aware of some of these challenges when the Select Committee on Security and Constitutional Development met with the Magistrate's Commission early this year to discuss some of the transformation-related challenges in the magistracy.
The Constitution Amendment Bill and the Superior Courts Bill pave the way for the overhaul of the outdated Magistrate's Courts Act of 1944, and its replacement by a lower courts Act which will be premised on the Superior Courts Act. We hope to finalise a draft lower courts Bill by the beginning of 2011.
The Constitution Amendment Bill and the Superior Courts Bill were published in the Government Gazette on 21 May 2010 for comment. We are confident that this will lead to an informed and constructive public debate on the fundamental transformation of our judicial system in line with our Constitution.
We have already received views regarding the proposed relocation of the seat of the Eastern Cape High Court from Grahamstown to Bisho. Some have interpreted this to mean that the Bill seeks to relocate the High Court from Grahamstown to Bisho. The Grahamstown High Court will continue to serve the community of the area. What is envisaged is that the Judge President will perform his or her judicial co-ordination function from the Bisho High Court, located at the seat of Government in the Province. This process will be managed responsibly and in consultation with the judiciary.
Significant strides have been made with regard to the transformation of the race and gender profile of the magistracy. At 31 March 2010, black people in the regional courts constituted 50,66% while white people constituted 49,34%. Women represent 32% of the total establishment of the regional court. In the district courts, 57% of the district magistrates are black, 43% are white and women make up 42% of the total number.
As is the situation in the Superior Courts, there is still underrepresentation of women across the magistracy and the situation is direr at the senior echelon of the magistracy, particularly at the Regional Court level. This is a matter that the Magistrates' Commission will have to look into.
Chairperson, we continuously strive to improve the organisational efficiency of our justice system. Especially important in this regard is the strengthening of the Office of the Chief Justice as a transitional step towards the establishment of a separate administration for the judiciary. Part of this initiative is the realignment of the court administration at regional and court levels with the envisaged court administration agency. Work is continuing in this regard and guidance will be sought from Parliament once firm proposals have emerged.
We are also strengthening our internal control mechanisms to ensure compliance with the Public Finance Management Act, the PFMA, and other prescripts in order to reverse the negative audit reports the department has received over the previous three years. To achieve this turnaround, we have enhanced our performance management system by putting stringent performance outputs in the performance agreements of senior management and staff. These outputs are in line with the performance agreement that the Minister himself has concluded with the President recently.
In pursuing access to justice, we continue to commit a substantial amount of our budget to building additional courts and service delivery points for the office of the Master. We do this to ensure that we reach out to rural and remote communities. We continue to build, in ever-increasing numbers, court buildings where there were none before.
We have also improved the architecture of these courts to create spaces conducive to accessing justice in a constitutional democracy. These courts are more accessible to all people, including those with disabilities.
The construction of new and refurbished courts in Galeshewe in the Northern Cape, Ekangala in Gauteng, Colesberg in Northern Cape and Lutzville and Ashton in the Western Cape, have been completed and the Minister will open these courts officially in the not-too-distant future.
Access to justice will also be enhanced with the completion, within the next five years, of seven courts including the High Courts of Mpumalanga and Limpopo. These courts include Henkey in the Eastern Cape; Mamelodi, Kagiso, and Katlehong in Gauteng; and Ntuzuma in KwaZulu Natal.
With regard to the High Courts, a site has been procured for the construction of the main seat in Nelspruit, while discussions with the Nkangala District Municipality for the allocation of an additional site for a local seat of the High Court in eMalahleni are at an advanced stage. This will address potential complications for communities in Mpumalanga, who are closer to the North Gauteng High Court in Pretoria than they are to a High Court in Nelspruit.
Parallel to the construction of new courts, we are also correcting the old magisterial districts which are informed by the racial and geopolitical boundaries of apartheid and reflect the defunct self-governing states and homelands of the then RSA.
This two-pronged approach seeks, on the one hand, to refurbish the branch courts in the former black areas and rural villages and confer upon them jurisdiction to function as fully fledged courts and, on the other hand, to ensure the alignment of magisterial districts with municipal boundaries established under our democratic constitutional dispensation.
In this regard, 15 of the 90 branch courts were converted into full service courts in August last year. During this year a further four branch courts will be converted. The conversion of branch courts into full services courts represents a significant step in our ongoing struggle to overcome the legacy of colonialism and apartheid.
Courts in many traditional black areas and rural villages only deal with the adjudication of criminal matters. Persons in these areas must often travel long distances to access civil justice services including maintenance, small claims courts and deceased estates. This programme will continue until all branch courts have been converted to provide full court-related services and the last vestiges of the shameful legacy of apartheid have been eradicated from our justice system.
Our strategy provides for the establishment of at least one district court in every municipal area. A draft report regarding the alignment of the magisterial districts with municipal boundaries, which will give effect to this objective, has been completed and will be published soon for comments before it is finalised.
Chairperson, no discussion on access to justice and courts will be complete without reference to Small Claims Courts. Small Claims Courts are a powerful mechanism to provide access to justice, especially to the poor. These courts function on the basis of speed, simplicity and cost effectiveness. These courts provide a forum for the resolution of civil claims up to R7 000, an amount determined in 2004. Consultations have started with a view to increase this amount to between R10 000 and R15 000.
Today, we have 206 functioning Small Claims Courts, five more since the Budget Debate in the NA on 5 May. The proclamation of a further three is imminent. We aim to establish an additional 60 new courts by the end of the 2010 financial year, and a further 60 by the end of the 2011 financial year.
We are well on track to meet these targets. With the launch of the
Small Claims Court in Alexandra yesterday, we have established 11 courts since the beginning of April this year – one sixth of our target in one sixth of a year!
Training manuals for commissioners and clerks of Small Claims
Courts were launched yesterday and the first training for Commissioners took place last week.
The excellent work done in these courts is done after hours on a voluntary basis, without any remuneration, by the 1 096 legal practitioners who preside as commissioners. We call on all to follow their example.
We also call upon all Members of Parliament to assist us by adopting the rallying cry: One constituency, one Small Claims Court!
Another Act aimed at increasing access to justice, which will come into operation soon, is the jurisdiction of the Regional Courts Amendment Act. The Act confers civil jurisdiction on the Regional Courts. The immediate consequences of the commencement of the Act will be the integration of the Divorce Courts into the Regional Courts. Although the Divorce Courts were opened to all races in 1997, they continue to operate under the old demarcations which dislocate and marginalise people on the basis of their residence.
It is ironic and illogical that the Central Divorce Court in Johannesburg does not have jurisdiction over the area of Pretoria, which, in turn, is served by the North Eastern Divorce Court with its seat in Durban. The new legislation will address this disjuncture which exists across all the Divorce Courts.
The child maintenance services at the District Courts remain one of our areas of major concern. We continue to increase capacity at the courts to improve our ability to deal with the long and time-wasting queues of maintenance beneficiaries and plan to reduce the waiting time substantially.
The Electronic Funds Transfer, EFT, project, aimed at enhancing efficiency, is still on track and it enables the department to pay maintenance monies directly into the accounts of the beneficiaries.
We are currently finalising the more comprehensive Third Party Funds Project bid process.
We are also increasing the capacity of the Master's offices to improve the provision of services for deceased and insolvent estates, starting with extending capacity in at least one main Magisterial Court per district to deliver probate services to the communities nearest to them.
In respect of the Guardian's Fund, we will ensure that 80% of the beneficiaries receive services within 40 days.
Hon members, we further seek to promote access to justice through the use of indigenous languages as languages of record in our courts. The Indigenous Language Pilot Project, which is being implemented at 27 District Courts countrywide, aims to enhance the status and dignity of African languages.
Since the inception of this project in April 2009, a total of 890 cases have been heard by these courts in indigenous languages. The lessons learned during the pilot project will inform the policy framework for language use in the courts envisaged to be completed before the end of this year.
Chairperson, I also wish to inform this Council of the Access to Justice and Promotion of Constitutional Rights Programme, which is a joint initiative of the department and the European Union, and is being co-ordinated by the Foundation for Human Rights. The European Union has committed €25 million – about R250 million – which will be disbursed over a period of three years.
Through this programme, 45 community advice centres will be established across the country. The primary purpose of the Community Advice Centres will be to educate the communities on their constitutional rights, on the Service Charter for Victims of Crime and on how to access the different courts, including the Equality Courts and the Small Claims Courts.
Another milestone in our endeavours to improve access to justice is the very important Review of the Civil Justice System. Cabinet recently approved the terms of reference for this review. The review seeks to ensure that the civil justice system provides a speedy, effective and affordable resolution of civil disputes. We will, by the end of this financial year, submit to Cabinet and Parliament a comprehensive report on the deficiencies and shortcomings of the civil justice system. This will assist in the development of a programme of action to address the shortcomings.
Let me take this opportunity to highlight some of the important Bills that this Council will have to deal with in the very near future. These Bills are at various stages of processing either by the department or by the portfolio committee in the National Assembly.
Of these, there are three Bills that impact most directly upon our objective of ensuring that everyone in South Africa is safe and feels safe. The first of these is the Prevention and Combating of Trafficking in Persons Bill, which provides for the prosecution and imposition of heavy penalties for those involved in the trafficking of persons.
Secondly ...
The DEPUTY CHAIRPERSON OF THE NCOP: Hon Deputy Minister, could you conclude, please.
The DEPUTY MINISTER OF JUSTICE AND CONSTITUTIONAL DEVELOPMENT: Madam Deputy Chair, I will work towards my conclusion. In fact, I think that what I will do is cover some of the outstanding areas when I respond to members' inputs. That response will basically highlight some of the pieces of legislation that will be coming to the Council in the very, very near future. Thank you.
The DEPUTY MINISTER OF CORRECTIONAL SERVICES
The DEPUTY MINISTER OF JUSTICE AND CONSTITUTIONAL DEVELOPMENT
The DEPUTY MINISTER OF CORRECTIONAL SERVICES: Chairperson, it is my pleasure to present the Budget Vote speech of the Department of Correctional Services to this very important House. Our Minister, Nosiviwe Mapisa-Nqakula, was looking forward to an opportunity to mark the beginning of our second year in office, but due to other commitments emanating from the vibrancy of this legislature, she could not be here today.
It is also an honour for me to introduce our new national commissioner, Mr Tom Moyaneand the new chief financial officer, Mr Siphiwe Sokhela, who both assumed duty on 15 May 2010. Mr Moyane brings in a wealth of experience. [Applause.] Bacela niphakame. [They ask you to stand up.] [Applause.] That's our national commissioner, Mr Tom Moyane, and the new chief financial officer.
Mr Moyane brings in a wealth of experience in strategic leadership and management and in turning around ailing or struggling institutions. The chief financial officer's performance outcomes over the past 10 years in the KwaZulu-Natal legislature speak for themselves as they received an unqualified audit report for nine consecutive years. [Applause.]
Their appointment marks a turning point in executive management instability that has plagued the Department of Correctional Services for some time now. We believe these great sons of our soil bring strategic and operational understanding as leaders and managers that will firmly place the department on a path to clean audit reports and a better image within the cluster.
An expression of appreciation goes to the Chairperson and members of the NCOP for their continued support. I know in your constituencies we often hear that you support our correctional services and that is greatly appreciated. I would like to acknowledge management and all the correctional officials who work tirelessly to deliver services to our people. I wish to express our warm gratitude to them for their guidance and support during our orientation. Allow me, Chairperson, to acknowledge all our officials, partners and our offenders present here today on my left. [Applause.]
My presentation of our five-year strategic plan to the House could not have come at a better time than after the signing of performance agreements between Ministers, in our case Minister Mapisa-Nqakula and our President, Mr Jacob Zuma, the President of the Republic of South Africa.
The Minister and I are fully committed to ensuring that the Department of Correctional Services enhances its capabilities and contributes to our ultimate goal of ensuring that all people in South Africa are and feel safe, as my colleagues from the Department of Justice have said.
To realise this critical outcome of the whole criminal system, the Department of Correctional Services will make a contribution to the following service delivery outputs: improving effectiveness and integration of the criminal justice system; combating corruption within the justice, crime prevention and security cluster to enhance its effectiveness as a deterrent against crime; and managing perceptions of crime among the population.
In line with government's plan to make 2010-11 a year of action, the agreement spells out clear and measurable performance targets against which the performance of the Minister and, by inference, everyone else in the department will be measured as we move forward. As testimony that government is indeed geared to work differently and better, the performance targets have been graphically spelled out for each area and placing emphasis on, among other things, the following: the improvement of numbers of offenders participating and benefiting from formal and an informal development care and corrections programmes; improving the efficiency of the remand detention system by reducing backlogs, years spent awaiting trial and numbers of cases finalized each year; intensifying the detection processing of case and increasing conviction rates of those perpetrating fraud and corruption within the system as a starting point in fighting the scourge in society as whole; ensuring that victims and the population receive accurate information on the state of crime and justice in order to build trust in the criminal justice system; lastly, strengthening the collaboration and integration of the information technology system and efforts to combat cyber crime
These targets will be pursued with vigour without neglecting the ongoing responsibilities of the Department of Correctional Services. The ongoing responsibilities on their own, directly or indirectly, contribute to ensuring a safe environment where people in South Africa will be free of the debilitating scourge of crime that renders them less productive.
Promoting good governance is important for us. I'm happy to announce that in the previous financial year, 89% of 109 officials detected, investigated and put through disciplinary processes were found guilty and sanctioned. We attribute this to our formidable minimum anticorruption capacity built over the years to spearhead our zero tolerance of fraud and corruption.
We have already recovered R2,5 million of the expected R4,5 million from hundreds of officials in KwaZulu-Natal who defrauded the department's medical aid scheme. These officials signed acknowledgements of debt and I can say, without fear of contradiction, that we are indeed winning the war on corruption. We remain committed to improving on this level of performance by sharpening the implementation of mechanisms to prevent, detect and respond to fraud and corruption in the department.
We have also pledged to ensure heightened implementation of the White Paper on corrections which places rehabilitation of offenders at the heart of all our operations. When we presented our Budget Vote last year, we acknowledged and expressed our heartfelt gratitude to our predecessors, Minister Ngconde Balfour and Deputy Minister Loretta Jacobs. In the context of rehabilitation programmes for offenders, we committed ourselves to building on their foundation and to improve in whatever they have initiated.
From our national and international experience gained since our assumption of leadership of this department, we are beginning to formulate a clear vision for establishing a sustainable approach to offence-specific rehabilitation programmes. This approach carries with it hopes of a more profound change in offending behaviour of inmates and of reducing recidivism.
Addressing the National Assembly in March this year, we said we are facing a challenge of deep-seated social problems that we have to deal with today. These social problems fuel crime; they become a breeding ground for crime. It is against this understanding that we believe, more than ever before, that a more developmental and rehabilitation-centred approach is the best for Department of Correctional Services.
Based on this understanding, we have committed ourselves to intervene in order to balance our investment in security and rehabilitation. To realise this we will, among other things, review and reduce our personnel expenditure from 69% of the allocated R15,1 billion to 63% within this term of government.
These adjustments are intended to create space for the reallocation of resources to strengthen rehabilitation and reduce recidivism. We will be periodically reporting on progress regarding increasing the number of offenders who are able to access both formal and informal development care and correction programmes.
We will also prioritise vulnerable groups in order to ensure, among other things, that education and development of offenders' skills are made mandatory for school-going youth. This will begin by ensuring that those under the age of 15 years, who by law must be at school, do indeed study at our centres.
Those falling outside of these compulsory education provisions will be given incentives to ensure that they subject themselves to education and training in order to address absolute and functional illiteracy or dearth of skills among offenders. They need to be prepared for productive and crime-free lives after release.
We will also pay particular attention to offenders who display symptoms of mental illness. During our visits to correctional centres, we came across disturbing cases of incarcerated offenders. We do not have the capacity to manage complex conditions like mental illness. We have invited expects from relevant fields to help us to address this challenge. We have also introduced a Ministerial task team which is moving ahead to identify all these cases and advise us accordingly.
We will also give appropriate attention to creating an enabling environment for the promotion of human dignity to women, children, people living with disabilities and elderly offenders, even though they constitute a small number. As part of a bigger campaign in this regard, we have now launched the Imbeleko Project across all regions, which is aimed at ensuring an appropriate environment for incarcerated mothers with babies, while intensifying the alternative placement of children who have exceeded the legal threshold of two years.
We will also support the Judicial Inspectorate for Correctional Services to ensure a conscious protection of human rights of offenders, as that is the mandate of the independent judge who oversees our correctional centres.
The role of the Inspecting Judge was fortified on 1 October 2009 when sections 60 to 67 of the Correctional Services Amendment Act of 2008 were put into operation by proclamation in the Government Gazette.
On the question of managing perceptions of crime, perceptions can be everything to the beholder. Currently, the department is receiving more than its fair share of negative publicity and perceptions, some of which are a product of sheer ignorance. We've committed ourselves to stepping up efforts to provide the public and the media with the accurate information they require to effectively participate in the transformation of the correctional system and in improving delivery of services.
To advance this cause, we will review the Corrections Contact Centre launched in July 2009 to serve internal publics for purposes of ensuring a caring, responsive and accessible correctional system for the public and all stakeholders.
Another critical platform for people's engagement in corrections is the parole system. We have advertised positions of chairpersons of 52 correctional supervision and parole boards and the due date is Friday this week. I will encourage all the members to invite community members to apply so that they can help us in the release of our offenders.
The new chairpersons are expected to assume duties in July 2010, replacing the first group whose five-year contracts end in June 2010. We will pull out all stops to maximise victim participation in the administration of parole, in particular, and in correctional services delivery in general. We trust that these engagements will help in building public trust and confidence in our correctional system.
As earlier alluded to, there are a number of other standing responsibilities which the department commits to deliver on. These standing responsibilities include overcrowding; security enhancement; optimisation of offender labour; stakeholder mobilisation; and strengthening of monitoring evaluation and reporting, particularly against the indicators outlined in our strategic plan.
With regard to offender population management, a multipronged strategy of addressing the perennial challenge of overcrowding is being pursued. This strategy incorporates the audit of inmates in order to use various legal provisions to down-manage overcrowding and the construction and rationalisation of facilities, as well as the establishment of dedicated branch for managing remand detainees.
The Minister has appointed a special task team to audit various categories of inmates for purposes of determining those deserving consideration for parole, reclassification, bail protocol and conversion of custodial sentences into correctional or community supervision. This task team has now covered two regions, the Western Cape and Eastern Cape.
The Kimberly correctional centre has been completed. Over 2 000 offenders have been transferred to the facility as part of a phased population of the centre that can take up to 3 000 offenders. Progress is being made to establish a dedicated remand detention branch with additional support systems being rolled out like, for example, the video remand court system and the introduction of the automated personal identification system, which is in place in 14 correctional centres.
We are still on course in our procurement of public-private partnership facilities as well as revamping and renovation of a number of existing facilities that together are expected to deliver more than 20 000 additional bed spaces by 2014. We have engaged the Council for Scientific and Industrial Research, CSIR, for purposes of auditing our facilities as part of rationalising and optimising our deployment of physical, financial and human resources.
Although we are progressively succeeding in reducing escapes - we achieved the lowest record of 40 escapes in 2009 - we view one more escape, particularly from a maximum facility, as one too many. Our target is to reduce escapes by a further 31% by 2015, by strengthening security structures, emergency security teams and dealing decisively with corrupt elements colluding to enable escapes.
With regard to offender labour, we continue to mobilise resources, both in private and public, so as to ensure that each and every offender has an opportunity to acquire skills and expertise through productive work in preparation for their integration into society on release.
In terms of building institutional capacity to deliver better, one of the most strategic resources is our personnel. They carry our hopes and aspirations for an effective correctional system. We will continue to improve implementation of various Occupational Specific Dispensations, OSDs, applicable in correctional services, heighten the roll-out of the seven-day establishment, while also going ahead to fill critical vacancies, in particular among scarce skills this year.
We want to assure the House and the public that the Department of Correctional Services will manage to deliver on the target set for the financial year within the allocated budget of R15,1 billion, projected to grow at an annual rate of 9,7% over the Medium-Term Expenditure Framework, MTEF. As demonstrated by the stringent management of budget for the previous financial year, we will again not overspend on our allocation.
In conclusion, I can confidently state that we are poised to accelerate the transformation of the Department of Correctional Services and improve service delivery. We have geared ourselves to enhance integration of the work of our partners within government and all other stakeholders to ensure that all people in South Africa are and feel safe. Thank you. [Applause.]
MR T F M MOFOKENG
THE DEPUTY MINISTER OF CORRECTIONAL SERVICES
Sesotho:
Mong T M H MOFOKENG: Motsamaisi wa Dipuisano, Bo Motlatsa Matona, ntate Nel le Mme Mkhize, le maloko a hlomphehang a Ntlo. E re ke nke monyetla ona Motsamaisi wa Dipuisano ke amohele baeti ba rona ho tswa polokehong ya batshwaruwa. Ntho ya mofuta o tjena o tla e bona feela mmusong wa ANC moo ho nang le maikemisetso a ho hlabolla batshwaruwa. Ke boele ke nke monyetla hape ho lakaletsa bakgethuwa ba babedi lefapheng la tsa tshebetso ya tlhabollo ya batshwaruwa, ntate Moyane le ntate Sokhela ka mosebetsi wa bona oo ba o kgethetsweng. Modula Setulo, baholoholo ba rona ba buile kgale Kliptown sebokeng sa batho, hore Aforika Borwa ke naha ya rona bohle, ba batsho le ba basweu. Ha ho mmuso o tla e busa ha o sa itshetleha pusong ya batho ka batho molemong wa batho. Ba ile ba tiiseletsa ka hore batho bohle ba tla lekana pela molao.
Selelekela sa Molao wa motheo se hlokomela ho hloka toka ha nako ya ho feta, se tlotla ba ileng ba hlekefetswa boitsekong ba tokoloho ya naha ya rona, le ho hlompha ba sebeditseng le ho ntshetsapele naha ena. Maikemisetsong ana a ho aha naha e sa kgetheng motho ho ya ka morabe kapa ka bong, ho a hlokahala hore Ditekanyetso tsena di tsepamise maikutlo dinthong tse salletseng morao tse re hopotsang moo re tswang teng.
Ha ho a lekana hore re be motlotlo feela ka Molao wa motheo o sirelletsang ditokelo tsa botho, le hore melao ya kgatello ya nakong ya ho feta e fedisitswe; empa ho ena le ba bang ba batho bao eleng bo ramolao le baahlodi makgotleng a rona a dinyewe, ba hulanyang maoto ho kenya tshebetsong diphetoho tse molemong wa puso ya tokoloho. Ho na le boramolao ba neng ba tshireletsa mmuso wa kgethollo, ba unneng molemo maanong a ona, ba rutuweng ho nyenyefatsa batho ba batsho, ba fumanang ho le thata ho amohela puso ya ANC. Hoo, ho bonahala ka tse ding tsa diqeto tse nkuwang makgotleng a dinyewe. Ha re buelle basenyi mme re re molao o sebetsane le basenyi ka botlalo, empa ho na le dinyewe tse ding moo otla fumana batho ba batsho ka ditlolo tse nyane tsa molao, ba ahlolwa ho sa natswe boholo kapa bonyane ba tlolo e jwalo ya molao. Empa, makgowa moo a bolaileng batho ba batsho teng, ba bolela hore ba ne ba nahana hore ba bona ditshwene; hothwe ba ilo lekolwa boko pele ba ahlolwa. Re utlwisisa ho ikemela ha makgotla a dinyewe empa ho ke ke ha ba le nnete. Re lebelletswe hore re thole ha makgotla a dinyewe a nka qeto e kgahlano le hore re se ke ra bina dipina tsa ntwa ya boitseko. Re hlompha tataiso e tswang mokgatlong ya hore re itshware, empa re tla bina ho sa kgathaletsehe hore na qeto ya lekgotla e reng.
Ditekanyetso tsena, di tlamehile ho hlokomela hore diphethoho tse tlamehileng ho ba teng tsamaisong ya toka di kenyelletsa batho ba batsho, bammala, maindia, bomme ka ho otloloha le batho ba sa itekanelang. Re thoholetsa qeto e nkuweng ya hore ho be le motho wa Mme eo eleng Poresidente ya baahlodi. Ditekanyetso tsena, di tlamehile ho netefatsa hore difeme tsa babuelli tsa batho ba batsho di una molemo dikonterakeng le mesebetsing yohle ya mafapha a mmuso a hlokang ditshebeletso tsa semolao. Hona ho tlamehile ho tsamaya le kwetliso ya maemo a hodimo eo ba tlamehileng ho e fuwa sekolong sa molao hore ba be maemong a ho phethahatsa boikarabelo bona ka bokgabane. Ditekanyetso tsena, di tlamehile ho thusa lefapha hore le be le dikamano tse ntle le di univesithe tsa naha ena hore dithuto tsa molao tseo di fanang ka tsona ebe tse tsamaisanang mmoho le tjhebelo pele ya semolao ya naha ena.
Kwetliso ya boramolao makgotleng a dinyewe e tlamehile ho ba thusa ho potlakisa ho qeta dinyewe ka potlako, hore ho se ke ha ba le tshubuhlellano ditjhankaneng. Mokgwa wa ho kgutlisetsa dinyewe morao ntle le hore batshwaruwa ba itlhahise kgotla, le hore makgotla a dinyewe a be ho ya kamoo moralo wa makgotla a metse e leng ka teng. E se eka lefapha le ka atolosa letsholo la lona la re se re fihlile, hore ditshebelletso tsa Mookamedi wa lekgotla le phahameng la dinyewe di fihlelle mahaeng. Ditekanyetso tsena, di boele di netefatse hore makgotla a dinyewe a potlakisa ditshebeletso tsa ditjhelete tsa tshehetso e lefuwang ke batswadi ba senang boikarabelo ba ho hlokomela bana, haholoholo dibakeng tsa mahaeng. Dibaka tsa thuso tsa mahlasipa a tlhekefetso le peto tse jwaloka sebaka sa tlhokomelo sa Thuthuzela di ngatafatswe. Re thoholetsa lefapha ka mekutu eo le enkang twantshong ya tlhekefetso ya bomme le bana. Bana ba emetseng dinyewe di fele, ba se ke ba kwallwa le batho ba baholo. Ho kenngwa tshebetsong ha molao wa toka wa bana, ho thuswa ha mahlatsipa a tlolo tsa molao, ho ahwa ha makgotla a dinyewe a tshireletsehileng le ho lokisa a boemong bo sa lokang, ho lwantshana le ho nyamela ha mangolo a samane, le ho lwantshana le basebeletsi ba lefapha ba kgohlahetseng.
Ditekanyetso tsena, di thuse lefapha ho potlakisa le ho tlisa pheletsong mosebetsi le ditlhapiso tse saletseng morao tsa mahlatsipa a tlhekefetso ya ditokelo tsa botho, e etswang ke komiti ya tshwarelo, TRC. Lefapha le tlamehile ho lekodisa mosebetsi o etswang ke komishene ya bomakgiseterata, haholoholo ho fanyehwa mosebetsing hwa bomakgiseterata ho ya ka ditlolo tsa molao wa boitshwaro tseo ba di entseng. Re elahloko lerata le etswang mabapi le diphetoho tse mothating wa ho etsehala tsamaisong ya toka, hammoho le ho kena dipakeng ha Letona le Poresidente. Re tshepa hore tataiso ya bona e tla kgotsofatsa bohle ba nang le thahasello tsamaisong ya toka, mme haele diphetoho tse molemong wa tsamaiso ya toka naheng ena, lefapha le se ke la qeaqea ho di kenya tshebetsong. Re tla di tshehetsa ka hohlehohle. Re utlwisisa bohlokwa ba ho fuwa monyetla wa ho hlophisa dipapadi tsa Mohope wa Lefatshe mme re hlokomela hore ditlokotsebe tse tswang dinaheng tse ding le tsona di tla be di le kahara naha ena. Ka hona, re tshepa hore lefapha le ikemiseditse ho sebetsana le batho ba tlang ho tlola molao. Lefapheng la tlhabollo ya batshwaruwa, tlhabollo ya batshwaruwa ke enngwe ya boikarabelo bo boholo boo lefapha le shebaneng le bona. Ditjhankane tsa naha ena di tletse batshwaruwa ba iphumanang ba le ditlamong ka ditlolo tse fapaneng tsa molao. Nnete ke hore, batshwaruwa kaofela pele ba tlola molao mme ba iphumana ba le moo ba leng teng, ke karolo ya setjhaba mme le tlolo tse fapaneng tsa molao tseo ba di entseng, ba hlekefeditse sona setjhaba sena seo e tla re ha ba qetile kahlolo ya bona, e be ba kgutlela ho sona. Potso e ba hore na ba kgutlela entse ele mashodu ba ilo utswa hape na, kapa ba kgutla ba fetohile ele baahi ba hlomphang setjhaba le molao wa naha na? Ke karolo efeng eo setjhaba se tlamehileng ho e bapala ho hlokomela hore kannete ha ba kgutla, ba kgutla ba hlabolohile.
Dibakeng tse mmalwa tsa polokeho ya batshwaruwa tseo re di etetseng jwaloka komiti, ho tletse bana ba batjha, ba tlilo dula nako e telele moo. Ditekanyetso tsena, di tlamehile ho thusa lefapha ka moralo o tla etsa hore tlhabollo ya batshwaruwa e fuwe maemo a hodimo. Mosebetsing o babatsehang oo lefapha le o etsang, le tlamehile ho hokahana le dikereke, dikolo, mekgatlo ya setjhaba le borakgwebo. Ho bontshana hore na mmoho ho ka etswang ho hlabolla batshwaruwa. Molao wa motheo wa naha ena o tshirelletsa ditokelo tsa batho bohle ho kenyelletsa le bona batshwaruwa. Tshubuhlellano e kahara ditjhankane tsa naha ena, e sitisana le matsholo a tlhabollo hore a kene tshebetsong ka ho otloloha ntle le tshitiso. Ho subuhlellana hona ho etsa hore basebelletsi ba ditjhankane ba hlolehe ho tsepamisa maikutlo a bona ka tlhabollo ya motshwaruwa ka mong. Bongata bona ba bona kgahlano le palo e nnyane ya basebelletsi ba lefapha, e etsa hore ho be bobebe hore ho tsepamiswe maikutlo tshirelletsong, mme e be batshwaruwa ba a baleha. Ba bang ba thuswa ke bona basebelletsi ba tjhankane mme ba jwalo lefapha le tlamehile ho sebetsana le bona. Dikgeo tse teng di tlamehile ho kwalwa mme ho hirwe batho ba nang le boiphihlelo ba tsamaiso, le hore ba se ntse ba sebetsa, ba fuwe meputso e hantle hore ba se ke ba sheba makgulo a matala, ba qetella ba tsamaile. Ditekanyetso tsena, di tlamehile ho thusa ho hohela batho ba tlo tshehetsa lefapha. Re thoholetsa lefapha ka meaho eo le e ahileng le eo le e lokisitseng mme re re ho potlakiswe ho ahwa e meng, le ho lokisa e meng ho fedisa tshubuhlellano.
Sebaka seo batshwaruwa ba dulang ho sona, le moo ho phehelwang dijo ho se seng sa dibaka tseo re ileng ra di etela mane Eastern Cape, ke maswabisa dihlong. Tlaleho eo re ileng ra e fumana ke ya hore ho se seng sa dibaka tsena tsa polokeho, batho ba sa itekanelang kelellong ba kwalletswe mmoho le ba nkang hantle, mme ha ho na netefaletso ya hore ha ho kotsi e tla hlaha. Re ananela maikemisetso a lefapha a hore ba se kwalle bana le batho ba baholo, eleng kamoo molao o hlokang kateng. Ditekanyetso tsena, di tlamehile ho lekola taba ya bomme ba iphumanang e le baimana, le ba kwalletsweng le bana ba bona ba banyane. Ho bohloko ho bona ngwana a holela tjhankaneng ka lebaka la tlolo ya molao e entsweng ke motswadi. E se eka ho ka ba le mokgwa oo ka ona ba ba ka iswang dibakeng tse ding tsa polokeho.
Tshebediso ya batshwaruwa ele e nngwe ya mokgwa wa ho ba hlabolla e tlamehile ho lekolwa le hore na moo ba sebetsang teng ba bolokehile na, ha ba tlo baleha kapa ba ke ke ba baka mathata. Ditekanyetso tsena, di tlamehile ho netefatsa tlhokomelo le tshwaro e ntle ya batshwaruwa. Phepo e tsamaisanang le bophelo bo botle mmoho le kalafo e hantle ha ba kula. Sena se ka phethahala ha lefapha le ka hira basebelletsi ba bophelo bo botle ba tlang ho thusa ka kalafo, haholoholo ho batshwaruwa ba nang le tshwaetso ya HIV. Lefapha le tlamehile ho lekola menyenyetsi ya ho tlatlapuwa ha batshwaruwa ke basebelletsi ba tjhankane mme dikamano di etswe hore e be tse hantle, tse shebaneng le ho hlabollwa ha batshwaruwa. Maemong ao a jwalo re tlo amohela bahahlaudi naheng ena ya rona ho tswa mafatsheng a kantle, ho tla boha dipapadi tsa Mohope wa Lefatshe. Re tshepa hore lefapha le bonetse pele haholo hore ho tla kwallwa batho ba bangata, hodima tshubuhlellana ena e teng hajwale. Ha ke qetela Motsamaisi wa Dipuisano, ho a hlokahala hore ke kope Motlatsa Letona ho potlakisa taba e tlisitsweng ka pela hae le Letona, ke komiti ya ditletlebo mabapi le batshwaruwa ba babedi ba Kroonstad Correctional Centre. Re tshepa hore Letona le tla nka qeto e nepahetseng kamora ho fumana keletso ya semolao ho tswa ho boramolao ba mmuso. Ke a leboha. [Mahofi.]
MR J M G BEKKER
Mr T H M MOFOKENG
Mr J M G BEKKER: Chairperson, hon Deputy Ministers, hon colleagues, hon guests, the Department of Justice and Constitutional Development and the Department of Correctional Services are very important pillars in our fight against crime in the country.
I believe, as I said on previous occasions, that the systems are in place. However, in both these departments, it is the implementation that is not realised. This is due to bad management, lack of responsibility and discipline.
Afrikaans:
Ons aanvaar dat ons regstelsel heeltemal onafhanklik moet wees en
streng net volgens die Grondwet en landswette moet optree. Ons glo
dat 'n onafhanklike regstelsel die Grondwet en die demokrasie van 'n land beskerm en bewaar. Ons is trots op ons Grondwet, maar dan
moet die regstelsel en die politiek geskei wees.
Ons is egter bekommerd as ons na die aanstellingsprosedure van
die topbekleërs van sekere poste kyk. Die Pikoli drama, asook die
ondersoeke rondom regter Hlophe, plaas 'n vraagteken op die stelsel.
Beide hierdie gevalle was nie opbouend vir ons regstelsel en regering nie. Ons glo daar is te veel mag in die hande van politici - en veral die regerende party - by hierdie aanstellings.
Daar moet gesoek word of gepoog word om hierdie aanstellingsprosedure te hersien. Ons eer en respekteer ons regters-president, ons hoofregteren al die regters van die verskillende howe en wil hulle beskerm teen enige bewerings wat hulle onafhanklikheid en integriteit aantas. Hulle is die bewakers en bewaarders van ons land se mense.
In ons laer howe glo ons die groot probleem is vertragings. Sake
word verskeie kere uitgestel om 'n wye verskeidenheid van redes.
Soms is die getuienis deurmekaar of soms ontbreek sekere belangrike dele; of soms blyk dit net laksheid en nalatigheid te wees. Dit is opvallend dat effektiwiteit, produktiwiteit en verantwoordelikheid
ontbreek.
Die Departement van Justisie se taak is om aan almal 'n regverdige
verhoor te verseker en seker te maak dat misdadigers gestraf word.
Dit is dus om dissipline in die land te verseker, maar hier skiet ons stelsel ver te kort en word die menseregte van misdadigers te hoog aangeslaan. Te veel sake word teruggetrek as gevolg van tegniese foute en die misdadigers loop vry.
Daar sal maniere gevind moet word om die agterstand van die howe
en die onnodige vertragings uit te skakel, andersins beweeg ons na 'n sfeer van totale wanorde.
Die Departement van Korrektiewe Dienste is daar om die vonnisse,
opgelê deur die howe, uit te voer. Beteken dit dan dat misdadigers
opgesluit word vir 'n tydperk en dan weer losgelaat word om maar
weer te gaan oortree? Toestande is haglik en geleenthede word gegee om te beplan vir die volgende misdaad. Ons het 'n oorbevolking van 139,747%! Gevonnisde gevangenes was 114 282 en verhoorafwagtenes 50 511 op 31 Maart 2010.
Ons glo dat daar te veel klem gelê word op straf en dat die departement 'n klemverskuiwing moet ondergaan na rehabilitasie. Daar moet geleenthede geskep word vir gevangenes om opleiding te
ontvang, sodat hulle toegerus kan words om 'n beroep te gaan
beoefen as hulle hul straf voltooi het. Hy of sy moet 'n geleentheid
gegun word om hom of haar te rehabiliteer.
Hier word met mense gewerk; mense met persoonlikhede en gedragspatrone wat gewoonlik baie deurmekaar is.
Daar moet aandag gegee word aan hoe hierdie mense die probleme
en uitdagings van die lewe kan hanteer en hulle moet geleer word wat bring werklik geluk en vrede in jou lewe. Ons moet die mense wat misdaad sien as 'n lewenswyse, verminder en probeer om hulle effektiewe, ekonomies onafhanklike burgers te maak.
Die koste om hierdie instellings aan te hou, is ook baie hoog. Dit
beloop meer as R4O miljoen per dag. Daar is so baie ander behoeftes wat aangespreek kan word. Gevangenes kan arbeid verrig en 'n bydrae maak tot die land se ekonomie.
Die taak van die amptenare is grotesk. Dankie vir die werklik
verantwoordelike amptenare wat hierdie uiters ondankbare werk
verrig. Die departement het egter ook amptenare aan die anderkant
wat floreer uit al die bendebedrywighede. Hierdie oorheersing deur bendes van die gesag in die instellings, is seker die enkel grootste probleem wat uitgeroei moet word. Daar moet maniere gevind word om hierdie mag van bendes te breek.
As ons na die Witskrif op Korrektiewe Dienste van 2005 kyk, dan
het ons 'n uitstekende plan wat toegepas en uitgevoer moet word,
maar ongelukkig word dit nie effektief gedoen nie. Dit is ook 'n groot bekommernis dat die departement verskeie gekwalifiseerde ouditverslae oor die afgelope jare ontvang het. Tydens hulle voorlegging aan die komitee, was omtrent al die amptenare waarnemend.
Daar moet foute in die toepassing van die stelsels wees. Die rol wat Justisie en Korrektiewe Dienste speel in ons stryd teen misdaad, is fenomenaal. Korrektiewe Dienste moet puik funksioneer as ons misdaad in hierdie land wil beheer. Ek dank u. [Applous.]
English:
The DEPUTY CHAIRPERSON OF THE NCOP: Hon members may I explain that the next speaker, hon Nesi, will deliver his speech from where he is seated. Most of us understand why; so you can carry on, Nesi.
Mr B NESI
MR J M G BEKKER
Mr B NESI: Chairperson, the Deputy Minister Mr Nel, hon Deputy Minister Ms Mkhize, hon members of the House and guests, I'm honoured to be taking part in this debate today, a day after we have celebrated Africa Day. Yesterday reminded me that we are still going to celebrate these milestones as a developing nation that has all it needs at its disposal to ensure a brighter future for generations to come.
Within no time we will be celebrating the 55th birthday of the Freedom Charter, a charter which the late president-general of the ANC Oliver Tambo referred to as the people's document. This document has proved over decades and from generation to generation that it indeed embraces the interests of all South Africans, hence I quote what our forebears proclaimed:
All shall be equal before the law!
It has been 16 years since we entered the corridors of power as the ANC. In these 16 years we have done many things in an attempt to fulfil the dreams of our forefathers and mothers, which were articulated in 1955. However, more needs to be done to eradicate the apartheid legacy.
Building a society founded on democracy and human rights; protecting people against violence and intimidation; and ensuring equal justice for all, especially those from previously disadvantaged communities, will not be an easy task. The slow pace of legal reform and transformation in the Department of Justice and Constitutional Development confirms the latter. For example, the proposal on child justice, which was made in 1994, only came to fruition 16 years later when the Child Justice Act came into operation on 1 April 2010.
The transformation of the Bench to be more representative in terms of race and gender remains a challenge.
IsiXhosa:
Ngokuphathelele kulo mba, siyiANC siyancoma xa kusithiwa iijaji ezingoomongameli ezisuka eRhini mazithunyelwe eBhisho.
English:
It is in line with the Polokwane resolutions when we said ...
IsiXhosa:
... ezi Nkundla ziPhakamileyo kufuneka ziye kubekwa apho iintloko-dolophu zamaphondo zikhoyo.
English:
It is evident that the Deputy Minister was there in Polokwane; he did not run out of the conference. [Applause.]
More needs to be done to ensure that more female and black candidates are appointed to the judiciary. We welcome the appointment of South Africa's first female judge president on 5 May 2010. We further welcome the intentions by the department to establish at least one small claims court per magisterial district. This will ensure greater access to justice, especially in rural Mpumalanga, Limpopo and the Eastern Cape.
IsiXhosa:
Sihlalo, xa abantu baseKokstad befuna ukufikelela kwiiNkundla eziPhakamileyo eMpuma Koloni kufuneka bahambe umgama ongangeekhilomitha ezingama-800 ukusuka eKokstad ukuya eBhisho. Kanti abaseMonti xa besiya eRhini kwiNkundla ePhakamileyo kufuneka bahambe iikhilomitha ezingamakhulu amabini anento.
La Nkundla iPhakamileyo iseRhini ibiyiNkundla ePhakamileyo yeMpuma Koloni endala eyayiphantsi kweriphabliki. Le iseBhisho yayiphantsi kukarhulumente waseCiskei nowaseTranskei ababeyinxalenye yoorhulumente ababesakubizwa ngokuba ngoorhulumente abayiTBVC.
English:
So the legacy of apartheid is still there after 16 years. It is for this reason that we welcome this move by the department ...
IsiXhosa:
... yokutshintsha okucwangciswa kweza nkudla eMpuma Koloni, eLimpopo nakuzo zonke ezi ngingqi.
English:
We understand that many people are going around campaigning that the court in Grahamstown must not be moved. Such people are sowing seeds of confusion among our people ...
IsiXhosa:
... ngoba akuhanjiswa nkundla ...
English:
... no jobs are going to be lost. What is being done is the rearrangement of the justice system so that it is able to deliver justice to our people. While the justice service is to be increased, the quality of that service will not take us to the realisation of our goal of "All shall be equal before the law!", if the language used in these courts is not the one that is used by those communities.
IsiXhosa:
Ukuba uza kuthatha umlungu umenze ijaji, umantyi, itoliki, igqwetha okanye umtshutshisi, ngaloo ndlela uzakuba uvimba aba bantu ithuba lokuba bakwazi ukuzithethela kwaye bafikelele kubulungisa ngengendlela eyiyo.
English:
So the issue of language in these courts is very important. If gender representation in those courts does not reflect the demographics of the victims ...
IsiXhosa:
Ukuba amagosa kwezi nkundla iza kuba ngamadoda - oko kukuthi umantyi, umtshutshisi, ipolisa elikhwaza umntu, namagqwetha - babe abantu abaninzi abaze kufaka izimangalo ingoomama; naleyo ayisoze isincede. Kuza kunyanzeleka ukuba siqiniseke ukuba kwezi nkundla - ukuba sithetha ngokufikelela nobulungisa - zonke izini zimelwe. Oomama kufuneka bakwazi ukubhekisa kubantu ababaqondayo njengoomama.
English:
We also need to address the issue of race as I have mentioned.
We are only at the beginning of a long journey to a truly united, democratic and prosperous South Africa in which the value of all citizens will be measured by their humanity without regard to race, gender and social status.
As a developmental state, South Africa's acceleration of transformation of the entire court system will go a long way to further improve the confidence of the people of South Africa in our criminal justice system.
This budget and its intentions reflect the resolutions taken at the 52nd national conference of the ANC in Polokwane. It is evident that the Minister and the Deputy Minister didn't run away to Cope in Bloemfontein when they couldn't cope inside the hall!
Indeed, their intentions and those of the department as a whole are echoing the voices of those fathers and mothers who clenched their fists and raised their voices in Kliptown in 1955 and loudly proclaimed: "All shall be equal before the law!"
In conclusion, ...
IsiXhosa:
... masivakalise iminqweno yokuba aBafana Bafana bakwenza ubulungisa ngomhla we-11 kuJuni eSoccer City eRhawutini ...
English:
... where they will deliver to the Africans the African century.
IsiXhosa:
Sihlalo, iANC iyayixhasa le Voti yoHlahlo-lwabiwo-mali.
English:
We further conclude by expressing the words expressed by the current President Jacob Zuma, when he declared this year the year of action. The call he made that we must act harder, smarter and faster should be a constant reminder to this department that we are behind schedule. Thank you. [Applause.]
MR M W MAKHUBELA
MR B NESI
Mr M W MAKHUBELA: Deputy Chairperson, hon Deputy Ministers and Minister of Correctional Services, I will start with the issue of perception related to consultants. Is it what we are hearing true – because we want this House to be clear – that consultants have now taken over from the staff to do the services in the correctional services? Is it true that an amount of about R200 million, over the past two years, has been used to pay consultants? If so, why?
We also heard that the people who are consultants are former employees of the correctional services. What is the problem; why is this thing not cleared up? I should have heard the Minister when he was standing here saying what we have seen or read in the newspaper is incorrect and here is the correct version. That would have put government in the right perspective and we would not have to believe in newspapers.
It can be believed that this thing is true; this year there is no way the budget for consultants was made available. It shows what we have read is true. The issue of Khutama and Mangaung prisons is that they are run by former employees of the Department of Correctional Services. They were in service when they went through the back door to get a job again to maximise their wealth.
With regard to the backlogs occurring in the Ministry of Justice, why can't new methods of administration be utilised to curb them? Also, what happened to the preparatory examination we used to have in order to do away with the backlog? We used to have a preparatory examination whereby everything was put in place procedurally. By so doing, we are definitely going to see changes.
I want to align myself with the view expressed by hon Nesi regarding the issue of jurisdiction: For 15 years a person still has to take a prisoner from Mabopane to Mafikeng; let us rectify this. We love to debate this thing while we are supporting the budget. We know that it should take place in a correct manner.
The issue of language in courts -oh no! What one can say – it's just a story. Ek sal so sê. [I will put it this way.]
English:
... because if you get a black person who is TshiVenda-speaking and the magistrate is also Venda, why do they still interpret into English because we have judges like Judge Moseneke who understands IsiZulu and SeSotho – you know such things ... Oh, yes, thanks. [Applause.]
Mr J J GUNDA
Mr M W MAKHUBELA
Mr J J GUNDA: House Chairperson, hon Deputy Minister of Justice, hon Deputy Minister of Correctional Services, members of the House, and all protocol observed; the ID believes that a number of decisions by this Ministry of Justice over the past years have placed the principle of the independence of the judiciary and the National Prosecuting Authority, NPA, under threat.
For the record, the ID has repeatedly made its view on the appointment of Menzi Simelane clear. The appointment of this arrogant and almost definitely dishonest former Director-General of Justice, and later the Deputy Director of the NPA, as the country's new National Director of Public Prosecutions was an indictment on the government. Instead, this man was rewarded by government by getting a job promotion.
In terms of correctional services, the ID remains concerned that South Africa's correctional centres are hopelessly overcrowded and are not up to the task of rehabilitating criminals. The department has been mandated to rehabilitate, develop and train offenders with different skills in order to become responsible citizens.
Chair, we must look at them and tell them that they are welcome in the society to play their role in the community. Unofficial statistics report that over 70% of criminals who leave jail revert back to their criminal ways. As we look outside the foyer of this House, we see the talent and skills displayed in the work that these offenders can do. It is of utmost importance to help them change their thinking as well as their attitude.
We must alleviate the overcrowding in our prisons by cutting down on the number of awaiting trial prisoners who are languishing in jail. The conditions that some of these prisoners are held in are unacceptable, for example, the King William's Town prison. We must also ensure that awaiting trial cases are processed far more efficiently by the justice system, and encourage alternatives to incarceration for less serious offenders.
Finally, the ratio of warders to prisoners needs to be reviewed and justified, while the danger allowance needs to be increased drastically. The income inequalities between ordinary warders and high officials like commissioners and their deputies must be reviewed.
Hon Chair, allow me to say this in Afrikaans ...
Afrikaans:
Jy kan nie iemand in 'n gevangenis in die korrektiewe dienste aanhou en nie hierdie persoon help om sy menswaardigheid terug te kry nie; en die departement kom sê vir ons dat hulle besig is om mense te rehabiliteer. Om mense te rehabiliteer beteken dat ek jou moet help om 'n beter mens te word sodat jy kan groei en sodat jy iemand kan wees in die gemeenskap. Ek dank u, en ons ondersteun die begrotingspos. [Applous.]
UMNTWANA M M M ZULU
Mr J J GUNDA
IsiZulu :
Umn M M M ZULU: Sihlalo, amaPhini oNgqongqoshe womabili, izinhloko ezintsha Zomnyango Wezamajele, kumbalwa mhlonishwa Ngqongqoshe Emnyangweni Wezamajele engicabanga ukuthi kufanele kubhekisiswe kahle. Kufanele kubhekisiswe kahle uhlelo lokuboshwa kwezingane zethu ezincane bese zivalelwa nabantu asebemadolomhlophe ngoba sibuye sizihlukumeze. Enye yezinto okufanele ibhekisise leyo, nokuthi singenza kanjani ukuthi lezo zinto zincishiswe. Yilokho nje okungikhathazayo kuleyo ndawo.
The HOUSE CHAIRPERSON OF THE NCOP (Ms N W M MAGADLA): Hon member, please raise your voice.
IsiZulu:
UmnM M M ZULU: Ngeke ngisakubala okuningi ngoba ushilo ukuthi inkohlakalo uzoyehlisa kanjani emnyangweni wakho. Lokho kuyabongeka ngoba yizimali zomphakathi lezi okufanele zibe nokukhuseleka. Ngakho alikho izwe eliphumelelayo uma linenkohlakalo.
Lokhu siyakubonga, yingakho siyiqembu le-IFP siseseka lesi sabiwomali ukuze ukwazi ukubhekana nezinselele ezibhekene nezwe lethu. Nokuthi ubheke lawo madolobhana amancane analezo zitokisi, ukuze kubhekisiswe kahle ukuthi kuzokwenziwa kanjani ngalezi zingane eziboshwa ziditshaniswe nabantu abadala, bese bezigila yonke imikhuba.
Ngiyazi ukuthi Umnyango Wezobulungiswa yiwona mnyango oyisikhumba sethu sokwembatha ngoba uphethe Umthethosisekelo wezwe. Kufanele ubheke ukuthi lezi zinto zihamba kahle yini. Nokusheshiswa kwezidingo zokuba kugwetshwe labo bantu abanamacala, kuthethwe amacala abo ngokukhulu ukushesha ukuze kubonakale abantu bengahlali kakhulu emajele. Ngoba lokho kudla kakhulu imali kahulumeni, uma uMnyango Wezobulungiswa ungakwazi ukubhekana nezinselele ezikhona.
Njengoba sikhuluma ngo2010 - igugu elikhulu lethu njengabantu baseNingizimu Afrika, kufanele sibheke njengoba kuzobe kukhona izihambi ukuthi singaphoxeki, ngoba phela ubugebengu sibuye sibenakho ngenxa yendlala. Izinkantolo lezo uNgqongqoshe ayethe zizosungulwa, mazisungulwe ngokushesha ukuze kushushiswe labantu abazobe benza okuphambene nomthetho kulelizwe lakithi.
Bese sibheka ukungaxhumani kahle koPhiko Lwezokushushisa Lukazwelonke njengoba uNgqongqoshe ebeseke wakusho ukuthi ubudlelwane phakathi kwalamahhovisi womabili abubuhle kahle. Mhlonishwa Khabazela, kufanele niqinisekise ukuthi lezi zinto ziyancishiswa ukuze sikwazi ukusebenza ndawonye, ngoba ngeke sivume ukuthi iminyango izenzele noma yikanjani ngaphandle kokulawulwa yinina. Nina nibekiwe njengosombusazwe ukuthi neluse futhi niqinisekise ukuthi ubudlelwane buhamba ngendlela. Njenge-IFP siyazesekela zombili lezi zabiwomali zeminyango yomibili. Ngiyabonga.
Dr B E NZIMANDE
PRINCE M M M ZULU
Mr L P M NZIMANDE: Chairperson, hon Deputy Ministers, first and foremost I would like to sincerely thank the Council for wishing me a speedy recovery whilst I was in hospital. I am now fully recovered. [Applause.]
I want to mention one or two things to my two friends, the general and my friend Gunda, before I get to the business of the day. [Laughter.] I would like to remind them that these individuals they are concerned about are professionals and they have their own merit. We do not feel sorry about appointing them to positions because they do qualify on merit. [Applause.]
Chairperson, I am rising on behalf of ANC to make an input in this policy debate on Budget Vote No 20 - Correctional Services. We are doing so not because we have counted rands and cents and concluded that the allocation is adequate, but because of our conviction that this budget demands a specific conduct from the officials responsible for the operations and implementation of programmes for the department.
For us, this allocation of R15 billion is an efficiency- and competency-oriented budget that requires financial discipline, diligence and effective decision-making on the part of the department and the Ministry as they bunker down to implement service delivery to our people.
We are supporting this budget fully aware of the challenges that the department has been facing for many years now, which include amongst other things, qualified audits, high vacancy rates, lack of internal systems and structures, escaping of prisoners, overcrowding, irregularities in procurement and corruption of staff members, as indicated in the input of the Minister.
Besides these problems that have plagued the department for so long, we are, however, encouraged by these allocations, which show that the greater portion is going to facilities, which in turn will reduce overcrowding, create more bed space and provide for other programmes, like the developmental and care programmes for the inmates.
With regards to current facilities that are either upgraded or newly built, we would like to emphasise to the department that it should act with speed in commissioning these facilities, particularly the Kimberly Correctional Centre and those in the Western Cape; there were indications during our oversight visit that they would have been finished by the end of last year.
However, the R2 billion allocation for rehabilitation and reintegration of offenders into families and society is placing a big challenge before the department to implement the programmes effectively and ensure that there is value for money; because as the President of the country instructed in the state of the nation address, this year is the year of action.
Therefore, the departments must work faster, harder, and smarter to ensure that this R2 billion is effective because the critics are arguing that we are allocating a small amount of money for the rehabilitation and reintegration of offenders.
Therefore, the demand is that the department must ensure that they effectively implement these programmes in partnership with civil society and the public-private partnership, PPP, entities to enhance the implementation of the programmes.
Indeed, we must emphasis the need to pay serious attention to programmes that are aimed at correcting offending behaviour and ensuring that the majority of our offenders are prepared for reintegration through the active involvement of the victims and communities.
We are, however, fully conscious of the fact that the conditions and the legacy under which crimes are committed include amongst other things, poverty; hunger; unemployment; illiteracy; dysfunctional families; the absence of care and authority figures in communities; greed, particularly amongst affluent families, which causes them to look for a quick-fix solution, namely to commit a crime.
It is, therefore, important for the department to now revisit the objectives of the White Paper and come up with implementation strategies for correctional services. These strategies should emphasise the need for courts, sentenced people and the correctional officials to understand rehabilitation as key when sentences are handed down. The purpose of the correctional system in South Africa is not . . . [Time expired.] Thank you, Chairperson. [Applause.]
THE DEPUTY MINISTER OF JUSTICE AND CONSTITUTIONAL DEVELOPMENT
MR L P M NZIMANDE
The DEPUTY MINISTER OF JUSTICE AND CONSTITUTIONAL DEVELOPMENT: House Chairperson, Deputy Minister of Correctional Services, hon members, I would like to add my voice to those that were heard at the beginning of this session welcoming back and wishing well the hon Nzimande.
Hon members, thank you very much to all who participated in this debate. It was a useful and informative debate. Certainly, many of the issues that have been raised have been noted by the Department of Justice and Constitutional Development.
I would like to reiterate once again our gratitude to members of the select committee who interacted very thoroughly with the department on our strategic plan and budget and made very valuable inputs. I would want to touch upon some of the issues that were raised in the course of the debate.
First of all, we can't agree more with the sentiments expressed by the hon Mofokeng and Nesi when they said that it can't be enough for us to be proud that we have put in place a new Constitution, and that we've repealed the laws of apartheid. We must go beyond that. That is really what lies at the heart of our quest to transform the justice system: It is to make a reality of all that's contained in the Constitution.
The Constitution can't live on paper; it must live in the hearts and minds of people; it must live in the everyday reality of people. We must make sure that people know their rights. They must understand their rights, and must have the mechanisms to enforce those rights, as well as the knowledge and assistance to do so. That is what access to justice is about.
Secondly, a number of the issues have been raised by the hon Mofokeng. He raised issues that are critical to the transformation of our legal system as a whole. He touched upon the question of briefing patterns. That is a matter that will be dealt with shortly, when the Legal Practice Bill is introduced in this House. It is also receiving attention. The department has set very definite targets for the briefing patterns of the state with regard to black practitioners.
The question of the extension of High Court services and other services to rural areas is something that is receiving the highest attention, as we indicated in our input. That also lies at the heart of our work around the expansion of Small Claims Courts, the conversion of branch courts into full Services Courts, and the construction of new courts.
With regards to the issue of court judgements with a racial bias, we are aware of those instances where judgements have a definite racial bias. What we can say is that the President has signed the proclamation which puts the Judicial Service Commission Amendment Act in operation from 1 June this year. The commencement of that Act will create a mechanism whereby complaints of that nature can be dealt with. It will also enable Parliament to adopt a code of conduct for judges to ensure that they adhere to the values of the Constitution.
We can also mention that the South African Judicial Education Institute has been established and it's in a process of becoming operational. Once that institute is fully up and running, one of the tasks that it will have will be to give social context training to judicial officers.
The hon member Bekker has raised a number of matters relating to the management of cases and backlogs in cases. We have put in place a case flow management system that aims at streamlining those processes. It has also been agreed by judges both at the level of the High and Magistrates' Courts to adopt an approach of judicial case management where the judge will exercise much greater control over the management of cases before his or her court.
Through the implementation of the criminal justice review programme, we have put in place a number of protocols that are designed exactly to make sure that cases go to trial only once they are ready to try them. In that way, it will speed up those processes. We have had, since 2006, a case backlog project which initially focused only on the Regional Courts.
That has been a very successful project. It has managed to bring down the levels of case backlogs quite substantially. That project is now being extended to the District Courts.
I want to also touch on some of the issues raised by the hon Bekker and hon Gunda: that of the independence of the judiciary and other institutions in our legal system, as well as the making of appointments. Before I get onto that topic, I would want to recall the words of Mr Paul Graham, the Executive Director of the Institute for Democracy in Africa, Idasa. He was speaking at a memorial service for the late Dr Van Zyl Slabbert, a great South African to whom I pay tribute and to whom we also pay tribute this afternoon in the NA. What Paul Graham said was that in one of the very first gatherings of Idasa, Dr Van Zyl Slabbert gave an input in which he defined three elements of democracy.
I won't speak on all three of them. The one he spoke about was the concept of bounded uncertainty. What he meant was that in negotiating a democratic dispensation, it's important to agree upon the ground rules, not necessarily on the outcomes. Once the rules are in place, the game must be played, and whatever outcome emerged from those rules, we must be willing to accept the results.
I want to appeal to hon Bekker and Gunda to apply that wisdom of the late Van Zyl Slabbert. We have negotiated the Constitution. We have put in place the rules, the structures and the mechanisms such as the Judicial Services Commission, JSC. We have given the President certain powers of appointment. Let us stick to those rules.
No one here has made a cogent argument that in any one of those instances the rules have not been followed. People are unfortunately not happy with the outcomes. That is fundamentally undemocratic, and can I say in the case of the DA, it's fundamentally illiberal to object to the structures and the rules when you are not happy with the outcomes. Please, let us respect the outcomes of our democratic processes.
The hon Gunda came here blazing. I know that three minutes can be challenging to make a sensible input, but please bear in mind the words of the English writer, George Elliot, who tells us that:
Blessed is the man, who having nothing to say, abstains from giving wordy evidence of the fact.
But that is said on a lighter note. I think the political point that members wanted to make has been made. They haven't necessarily scored those points. We hope that our team will have greater success in scoring them! I have heard. But on a serious note, I think we should refrain from making the important issues of justice, our constitutional democracy and the fight against crime something that is the subject of cheap politicking.
Overall, the debate has been conducted in a good atmosphere and in a constructive manner. We thank all members for that, and we thank you for your support for the budget. I thank you. [Applause.]
DEPUTY MINISTER OF CORRECTIONAL SERVICES
DEPUTY MINISTER OF JUSTICE AND CONSTITUTIONAL DEVELOPMENT:
The DEPUTY MINISTER OF CORRECTIONAL SERVICES: Chairperson and hon members, I have an instruction from the officials in our department. They said I should start by emphasising that the Department of Correctional Services is ready for 2010 World Cup. [Applause.] Basically, this means that our facilities are ready for those members who would step out of line! [Interjections.]
Mr W F FABER: Chairperson, on a point of order, I just wanted to know if the Deputy Minister would be able to take a question on the fact that the Correctional Services is ready for the World Cup.
The DEPUTY MINISTER OF CORRECTIONAL SERVICES: Hon member, I will not take a question.
The HOUSE CHAIRPERSON: COMMITTEES: She said no.
Mr W F FABER: Ok, that means they are obviously not ready. [Laughter.]
The DEPUTY MINISTER OF CORRECTIONAL SERVICES: Let me start by thanking hon members for the very important issues raised today. For some of the issues, we will make it a point that we give written responses as a follow-up.
Starting with the hon Mofokeng, the question of rehabilitation of offenders is very important. It is the core of our work. As the department, we fully accept that responsibility, and the seriousness that goes with it. We are fully aware that we have a responsibility to ensure that when people come to our centres, we give them an opportunity ...
IsiZulu:
...ukuthi baqale kabusha.
English:
One of our centres in Mpangeni in KwaZulu-Natal is even called, "Qala kabusha". For us that is the core of our responsibility. In my speech, I did mention that we have realised that we are dealing with deep-rooted, complex social problems that the new dispensation inherited. Its legacy is still with us. Therefore, I fully endorse and agree with members on the responsibilities and the pressure they are putting on us, in this respect.
On the question of young offenders, I would like to remind members about the Child Justice Act which came into effect on 1 April 2010. It creates a new opportunity for children in conflict with the law to be treated differently, as against what was the case in the past. For instance, this Act makes the incarceration of a child in a correctional facility, a last resort.
Children in conflict with the law should be diverted to Child Justice Centres where they will undergo a rehabilitation programme. In other words, they are prevented from finally coming into conflict with hardened criminals. Of course, we are going to continue our effort within the cluster to ensure that the spirit of the Act is implemented.
Hon Bekker raised the question of implementation, which seemed to be a challenge. He also raised the question of rehabilitation. As I have already indicated, we are concurring with that. When coming to implementation, I would also like members to appreciate the dilemma that we are facing. We have inherited a system which was not meant for what we are doing today. As you all know, correctional services was highly militarised.
The emphasis was not on rehabilitation. We rely on our officials and our systems to carry out the new mandate. It is a battle and a struggle. We are committed and working hard. Again, I would say that it is one area where you can see that the past is still with us. On the question of rehabilitation, I fully agree that we need every support to overcome this battle, speedily and as soon as possible.
Hon Bekker, on the question of gangs, as a department we are working on a strategy. Firstly, I should admit that it is of great concern to us and that we are fully aware of the risks built into that practice, especially when looking at the high percentage of young offenders. Of course, our policy and strategy is to limit contact. They are separated in different units. We know that with modern technology, it is something which we should be vigilant to, and guard against.
On a daily basis, on admission, offenders are warned against gang involvement where necessary. Separate gang leaders are taken out of the province or region, so that they cannot have much contact with those from the community. We don't hesitate to incarcerate gang leaders in maximum centres, even transferring them to places like Mangaung and Kokstad. We also work very closely with security agents who are much more competent and skilled in dealing with gangs. Before a gang-associated person is released, we alert the SAPS, our partner within a cluster.
There was also the question about the consultants. I think it was raised by the hon Makhubele. I must say that the leaking of a preliminary report of the Auditor-General on the management of contracts must be condemned in the strongest possible terms. The Auditor-General's report which was wrongly published was a preliminary one to which management had responded.
We are going to receive a final report within a week, which is expected to be substantially different. We did note that it was a concern, but we are going to give an informed response after receiving the final report, which will have the input of the department.
There was also a question on overcrowding. I think it was raised by the hon Gunda. Overcrowding is an international problem. Generally, there is a trend worldwide that one picks up that the prison capacity tends to exceed the approved limits. But I just wanted to ensure hon members that we are working very hard within the cluster, looking at alternative diversions.
Concerning young people, the Department of Social Development is at an advanced stage in terms of securing centres for them. Within our cluster, there is generally an understanding that as other clusters would be taking their rightful place, we as correctional services, because we are at the receiving end, would be likely to have benefits that are going to ease overcrowding.
On the question of awaiting-trial detainees, who tend to add to our existing problem, as I have indicated, our department was mandated to work on the remand detention centres. We are at an advanced stage. Very soon there will be a White Paper which is going to deal with quite a number of issues. We are hoping that that will help in releasing the question of overcrowding as well, since awaiting-trial detainees will be dealt with, speedily and efficiently.
According to the hon Gunda, there was a 70% chance of almost saying that those people were likely to come out having not been rehabilitated. I am not sure about that percentage. I don't know where the hon member got it from. It doesn't sound in line with our statistics. I think on this one, again, it would be good for us to look carefully at the rate of recidivism and give feedback to hon members, so that they can monitor how well we are doing.
On the question of vacancies, the department has lifted the moratorium on filling of strategic positions and scarce skills categories. In due course we are going to advertise to fill 414 positions across the board from June this year. We are planning to reduce personnel expenditure from 69 to 63. That would essentially reduce the vacancies substantially. We are going to keep the House informed of the progress made on this issue.
On qualified audit reports, I must say that the appointment of the highly qualified Chief Financial Officer will help us in coming up with a realistic budget model, expenditure patterns and in being able to adhere to general accounting procedures. Of course, the value of the appointment of the National Commissioner cannot be underestimated as he is likely going to provide leadership.
At this point I would like to thank my colleague, the Deputy Minister of Justice, the Chairperson and all members who participated in the debate. As the department, we found the debate extremely helpful. I thank you. [Applause.]
Debate concluded.
The Council adjourned at 17:21.
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