Questions & Replies: Correctional Services
2012-12-31
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Reply received: December 2012
PARLIAMENTARY QUESTION NO: 3376
DATE SUBMITTED TO PARLIAMENT: Thursday, 06 December 2012
Mr T W Coetzee (DA) to ask the Minister of Correctional Services:
(1) (a) How many copies of each annual report that was produced by (i) his department and (ii) the entities reporting to him were commissioned for print in the 2011-12 financial year, (b) how many copies were actually printed and (c) what were the (i) total and (ii) individual costs of printing these reports;
(2) (a) who printed each specified report, (b) how was the specified printing services provider decided upon and (c) on what date did the specified printing services provider deliver the report to the specified entity;
(3) whether any of the specified reports that had been printed were found to be unsatisfactory; if not, what is the position in this regard; if so, in each case, (a) which reports, (b) for which entity, (c) by which printing services provider, (d) what action was taken and (e) what were the costs? NW4279E
REPLY:
(1) (a) (i) 500 copies were commissioned for print.
(ii) 4000 copies were commissioned for print.
(b) Number of copies actually printed for Department: 500 copies
Number of copies actually printed: 4000 copies
(c) (i) Department's annual report total costs: R116,130.00
JICS annual report total costs: R71,292.00
(ii) Individual costs for Department's annual report: R232.26 per copy
Individual cost for JICS annual report: R17.82 per copy
(2) (a) Shereno Printers printed the Departments' annual reports
Formeset Printers printed the JICS' annual reports
(b) For the Departmental annual report, a request was made to Government Printers and Shereno Printers was approved. BEE scores were taken into consideration.
For the JICS report, the supplier was selected by requesting quotations and selecting the cheapest one.
(c) 500 copies were delivered to the Department on 25 September 2012.
The JICS reports were delivered in batches on 27 September 2012, 03 October 2012 and the last batch was received on 04 October 2012.
(3) (a), (b), (c) and (d)
All copies of the annual reports printed, for both the Department and JICS, were found to be satisfactory.
Reply received: December 2012
PARLIAMENTARY QUESTION NO: 3356
DATE SUBMITTED TO PARLIAMENT: Thursday, 06 December 2012
Mr J Selfe (DA) to ask the Minister of Correctional Services:
What (a) administrative, (b) staffing and (c) financial implications did the restructuring of his department's core business branches, to which his predecessor referred in her Budget Vote speech this year, have for his department?NW4255E
REPLY:
(a), (b) and (c)
Utilising a logic model developed in consultation with senior executives within the Department, the Department embarked on a realignment exercise in early 2012. Senior Management considered a number of operating models in order to achieve the strategic mandate of the Department of Correctional Services as per relevant government directives. Once an operating model had been decided upon, afftected senior executives were then individually consulted about their possible placement and placements were then effected.
Administratively, the changes that have been affected are Regional Commissioners who now report to the Chief Operations Officer (COO). The profiles of Community Corrections and Remand Detention have also been given the necessary lift in the quest to providing these areas of core operations with more focus.
At this stage, financial considerations have been in respect of limited relocation benefits in relation to Regional Commissioners who had to transfer.
The extent of the financial, administrative, as well staffing needs will only be determined once the realignment exercise is cascaded to the lower levels.
Reply received: December 2012
PARLIAMENTARY QUESTION NO: 3354
DATE SUBMMITTED TO PARLIAMENT: 13 December 2012
Mr J Selfe (DA) to ask the Minister of Correctional Services:
(a) What was the duration of each specified official trip overseas since his appointment and (b) on what date did he depart in each case? NW4253E
REPLY:
(a) and (b)
I only undertook one official trip since my appointment as Minister of Correctional Services.
I departed on 24 September 2012 and spent a total of 14 days abroad.
Reply received: December 2012
PARLIAMENTARY QUESTION NO: 3259
DATE SUBMITTED TO PARLIAMENT: 13 December 2012
Mr N D du Toit (DA) to ask the Minister of Correctional Services:
(1) Whether (a) his department or (b) any entity reporting to him, placed any advertisements in The New Age since the inception of the newspaper up until the most recent date for which information is available; if not, in each case, what is the position in this regard; if so, (i) which entity placed the advertisements, (ii) on what date was each advertisement placed, (iii) what was the nature of each advertisement and (iv) what amount was spent on each advertisement;
(2) whether any of these advertisements were placed through the Government Communication and Information System (GCIS); if not, what is the position in this regard; if so, what are the relevant details of the advertisements placed through the GCIS;
(3) whether an independent analysis was conducted by his department prior to placing advertisements to ascertain whether The New Age is read by the intended target market; if not, why not; if so, (a) who conducted the analysis and (b) what were the main (i) findings and (ii) recommendations of said analysis;
(4) whether any independent studies of said advertisements were conducted to ascertain whether they were effective within the relevant target market; if not, why not; if so, (a) who conducted the analysis and (b) what were the main (i) findings and (ii) recommendations of said analysis? NW4148E
REPLY:
(1)(a) Yes
| (i) Which entity placed advertisement | (ii) On what date | (iii) Nature of advertisement | (iv) Amount spent |
| Department of Correctional Services (DCS) | 23 January 2011 | Vacancy advertisement | No direct payment made to The New Age as agreement was with Magauta Recruitment and Placements Solutions |
| DCS | 3 February 2011 | Vacancy advertisement | No direct payment made to The New Age as agreement was with Tshilo Designs |
| DCS | 10 February 2011 | Vacancy advertisement | No direct payment made to The New Age as agreement was with Bidikela Printers |
| DCS | 7 February 2011 | Vacancy advertisement | No direct payment made to The New Age as agreement was with Hermes Multimedia |
| DCS | 16 May 2011 | Vacancy advertisement | R196,007.04 |
| DCS | 11 July 2011 | Vacancy advertisement | R29,945.52 |
| DCS | 19 July 2011 | Vacancy advertisement (erratum) | R6,805.80 |
| DCS | 14 July 2011 | Vacancy advertisement | R27,223.20 |
| DCS | 30 September 2011 | Public Awareness on Corrections Week | R64,584.00 |
| DCS | 06 October 2011 | Publishing SA Government's response to United Nations Human Rights Commission | R64,584.00 |
| DCS | 03 August 2012 | Public awareness Reading for Redemption campaign | The discounts that have been negotiated with each publication – including New Age - are documented on each procurement batch which will be auditable at the end of the financial year. Revealing the confidential discounts that GCIS is able to negotiate for the various departments may compromise the negotiated deals made with each media house. |
| DCS | 19 November 2012 | Public awareness of the DCS Colloquium on overcrowding and detention trends | The discounts that have been negotiated with each publication – including New Age - are documented on each procurement batch which will be auditable at the end of the financial year. Revealing the confidential discounts that GCIS is able to negotiate for the various departments may compromise the negotiated deals made with each media house. |
(b) No entity placed advertisement in the mentioned newspaper.
(2) Only advertisements placed during 2012 were placed through the Government Communication and Information System (GCIS).
(3) (a) and (b) (i) and (ii)
Advertisements are normally placed in newspapers that are considered to be part of the mainstream media of which the said newspaper is considered to be part of.
(4) (a) and (b) (i) and (ii)
No, the Department subscribes to tracker research through GCIS. GCIS has invested and procured an independent tool to assist in determining appropriate mediums/platforms to procure government media campaigns. The mediums chosen are based on the Telmar software tools which guide on the best option to propose to a department making the request for media placement. This tool is supported by independent media research analysis drawn from the South African Advertising Research Foundation (TAMS and RAMS) and is complemented by the Audit Bureau of Circulation Data.
Reply received: December 2012
PARLIAMENTARY QUESTION NO: 3214
DATE SUBMITTED TO PARLIAMENT: 13 December 2012
Mr J Selfe (DA) to ask the Minister of Correctional Services:
Whether he has travelled abroad on official business since his appointment; if so, (a) how many times, (b) to which destinations, (c) for what purpose in each case, (d) who accompanied him in each case and (e) what were the costs in each case? NW4102E
REPLY:
(a), (b), (c), (d) and (e)
| Destination | Purpose | Accompanied by | Cost |
| Brazil – Cuba - New York | Study tour and a benchmarking exercise | · National Commissioner · Chief of Staff · Head of Communication: Ministry · Personal Assistant to Minister · Acting Personal Assistant to National Commissioner · Spouse of Minister | The costs cannot be confirmed at this stage as information is outstanding from Department of Internal Relations and Co-operation (DIRCO) |
Reply received: December 2012
PARLIAMENTARY QUESTION NO: 3198
DATE SUBMITTED TO PARLIAMENT: Thursday, 06 December 2012
Mrs J M Maluleke (ANC) to ask the Minister of Correctional Services:
Whether his department intends educating the community to be tolerant of parolees; if not, what is the position in this regard; if so, what are the relevant details? NW4034E
REPLY:
Yes. The Department of Correctional Services (DCS) has embarked on a renewed focus to bring victims and parolees together in a safe space where relationships can be restored and forgiveness sought. The Victim-Offender Dialogue (VOD) is premised on the belief that the community as a victim of crime needs to move away from doubting the concept of rehabilitation and move towards a new movement that enhances the values for good citizenship, which also includes assisting the offender to regain his/ her best self and get reintegrated into the community. The main thrusts of this programme is to contribute to a safer South Africa through promoting a family unit and stronger community systems, as well as victim support and empowerment, while pursuing the rehabilitation of those incarcerated.
The DCS intends creating community awareness through campaigns and education on services and programmes rendered, including the VOD in consultation with stakeholders. Proper orientation will be held with parolees to promote common understanding regarding VOD upon admission and release from the Correctional Centres and community corrections offices. Other orientation sessions will also be held with other stakeholders, such as the National House of Traditional Leaders, Traditional Healers, Non Profit Organizations (NPO), Foundation of Victims of Crime (FOVOC), and Faith Based Organizations (FBO), through Imbizos, workshops, colloquiums, conferences, etc.
The DCS can only succeed in enhancing successful reintegration of parolees in their communities of origin by actively involving the relevant stakeholders. Finally, the trilogy of a victim, offender and community must play a leading role in the implementation of the Victim Offender Dialogue.
Reply received: November 2012
PARLIAMENTARY QUESTION NO: 3171
DATE SUBMITTED TO PARLIAMENT: Thursday, 22 November 2012
Mr J Selfe (DA) to ask the Minister of Correctional Services:
(1) Whether he has taken any steps to ensure that his department honours its commitment that no outsourcing of nutritional services would be done after January 2013 (details furnished); if not, why not; if so, what are the relevant details;
(2) whether his department has identified a nutritional service provider in the event that outsourcing of nutritional services does occur after January 2013; if not, what is the position in this regard; if so, (a) who will provide the nutritional services and (b) what process has been followed to determine the specified nutritional services provider? NW4011E
REPLY:
(1) The Department conducted several audits to determine the state of readiness to in-source the management and rendering of food services in the eight (8) management areas.
Based on the information available, it is clear that the Department will not be ready to take over the management and provisioning of food services in the eight (8) management areas on 01 February 2013.
(2) (a) and (b)
No, the Department took a decision that the tender for food services of the eight (8) management areas be advertised through a bid process. A Bid Specification and Bid Evaluation Committee has been appointed to run the process. The Department will further conduct a Cost Benefit Analysis to establish which will be the better option between out-sourcing of food services.
Reply received: December 2012
PARLIAMENTARY QUESTION NO: 3418
DATE SUBMITTED TO PARLIAMENT: Thursday, 06 December 2012
Ms M R Shinn (DA) to ask the Minister of Correctional Services:
Whether (a) his department and/or (b) any entity reporting to him sponsored any (i) event and (ii) promotion hosted by The New Age newspaper since its establishment; if so, in each case, (aa) what was the nature of the event or promotion, (bb) on which date was it held, (cc) what amount was paid, (dd) for what purpose, (ee) from which budget were the funds derived, (ff) what were the expected benefits to his department and (gg) what actual benefits were derived from the sponsorship? NW4337E
REPLY:
(a) and (b) (i) and (ii)
No
(aa), (bb), (cc), (dd), (ee), (ff) and (gg)
Fall away.
Reply received: November 2012
PARLIAMENTARY QUESTION NO: 3147
DATE SUBMITTED TO PARLIAMENT: Monday, 26 November 2012
Adv L H Max (DA) to ask the Minister of Correctional Services:
(1) Whether his department implemented the arbitration award (details furnished) which was granted in favour of the Public Servants Association of South Africa (PSA) on behalf of Basson and others in Kimberley on 29 June 2012; if not, why not;
(2) whether his department embarked on a review process; if not, when does his department intend to implement this award; if so, (a) when was the application filed in the Labour Court and (b) what is the current status of the review process?
NW3985E
REPLY
(1) Yes.
(2) (a) and (b)
The Department had sought advice from State Attorney on whether the award was reviewable, and the advice was that the award should be implemented. Three (3) of the officials involved had not moved out of their positions. The rest have been informed of the decision not to review the award. Two (2) of them have since reported back to the Tswelopele Correctional Centre and one (1) official indicated that she is not interested to go back and therefore remains at Kimberley Correctional Centre.
Reply received: December 2012
PARLIAMENTARY QUESTION NO: 3144
DATE SUBMITTED TO PARLIAMENT: Thursday, 06 December 2012
Adv L H Max (DA) to ask the Minister of Correctional Services:
(1) Whether his department has complied with the arbitration award in favour of DENOSA on behalf of Gabuza and nine others in Kimberley on 6 September 2011; if not, why not;
(2) whether his department has embarked on a review process; if not, when will his department implement the award; if so, (a) when was the application filed in the Labour Court and (b) what is the current status of the review process? NW3982E
REPLY:
(1) No, due to the fact that the arbitration award was never received.
(2) No
(a) The Department filed an application on 06 September 2012 opposing the Application for Enforcement that was received from DENOSA's Attorneys.
(b) The current status of the matter is that opposing and replying affidavits were filed.
Reply received: November 2012
PARLIAMENTARY QUESTION NO: 3140
DATE SUBMITTED TO PARLIAMENT: Thursday, 26 November 2012
Mr J Selfe (DA) to ask the Minister of Correctional Services:
(1) With regard to the contingent liabilities listed in Annexure 2B of the annual financial statements for 2011-12, for each claim against his department, (a) to which category of liability does each claim relate and (b) what was the original amount claimed;
(2) whether each claimed amount was paid in full; if not, (a) which claims were (i) reduced and (ii) cancelled and (b) what amount was paid to each specified claimant; if so, what amount was paid to the specified claimant in each case;
(3) whether each claim was settled as a result of a court order; if so, in each case, what (a) are the relevant details and (b) is the total amount that his department disbursed in legal costs in relation to all contingent liabilities in the 2011-12 financial year; if not,
(4) whether each claim was settled out of court; if not, what is the position in this regard; if so, in each case, what are the relevant details in each case? NW3978E
REPLY:
The table below give a breakdown of the category of liability and the original claim:
(1) (a) and (b)
| Category of liability for each claim | Original amount claimed |
| Delictual claims or general damages | R3,660,154.00 |
| Bodily injury assault | R23,600,000.00 |
| Defamation | R30,000.00 |
| Death in detention | R300,000.00 |
| Bodily injury/ assault | R23, 600,000.00 |
| Breach of contract | R41,974.33 |
| Motor vehicle accidents | R128,484.67 |
| Injury in prison | R1,100,000.00 |
| Unlawful deduction from salaries | R5,000.00 |
| Loss of support | R100,000.00 |
| Other claims | R213,514.49 |
(2) The following claims were paid in full:
§ rental arrears for buildings
§ compensation for reinstated officials
§ claims for assault
(a) (i) No claims were reduced.
(ii) and (b)
The following claims were cancelled and the reason for each cancellation in indicated in brackets:
Ø R1,844,000.00 for general damages (prescription and summonses were not issued)
Ø R3,000,000.00 for allegedly infecting claimant with HIV virus (no summons were issued)
Ø R1,535,000.00 for defamation (no summons were issued)
Ø R9,000,000.00 for assault (the Department of Correctional Services (DCS) was not properly cited as a party and would plead prescription if properly brought to court)
Ø Other claims were cancelled due to prescription
(3) (a) R2,570,480.58 was paid for an assault claim after a court order. A court order was served on the Department and was implemented.
(b) Legal costs are incurred when claims are processed in court. The amounts are kept by the offices of the State Attorney. The total amount paid for defending the DCS against claims and motion application during the 2011/ 12 financial year is R27,722,780.00
(4) None, as motions applications are excluded because a number of them were settled out of court.
Reply received: November 2012
PARLIAMENTARY QUESTION NO: 3094
DATE REPLY SUBMITTED TO PARLIAMENT: Monday, 26 November 2012
Mrs D Robinson (DA) to ask the Minister of Correctional Services:
(1) Whether his department is currently subscribed to The New Age (TNA) newspaper; if so, (a) how many subscriptions does his department have, (b) when was each subscription initiated, (c) what has been the annual subscription fee for each specified subscription since it was initiated and (d) what is the exact purpose of each subscription;
(2) whether a discount was negotiated for any of the specified subscriptions; if so, (a) for which specified subscriptions and (b) what discount in each case;
(3) whether his department has mass-purchased the TNA on an ad hoc basis since the inception of the newspaper; if so, (a) on what dates, (b) how many copies in each case and (c) why were the papers purchased in each case;
(4) whether (a) the publishers of the TNA and (b) any other entity donated copies of the paper to (i) his department and (ii) any entity reporting to him; if so, in each case, (aa) which entity donated the papers, (bb) to which entity were they donated and (cc) how many copies were donated? NW3923E
REPLY:
(1) Yes.
(a) One (1)
(b) The subscription started in January 2011.
(c) The annual subscription fee is R767.54 per annum.
(d) Head office subscribes to The New Age (TNA) newspaper for media monitoring purposes.
(2) No discount has been negotiated.
(a) and (b) Fall away.
(3) The department has never mass purchased the TNA since its inception.
(a), (b) and (c)
Fall away.
(4) (a) No
(b) (i) and (ii) Yes
(aa) On the Dot Distributing Company
(bb) None. The copies were donated to the Department.
(cc) Fifty (50) copies were donated.
Reply received: December 2012
PARLIAMENTARY QUESTION NO: 3078
DATE SUBMITTED TO PARLIAMENT: Thursday, 06 December 2012
Adv L H Max (DA) to ask the Minister of Correctional Services:
Whether (a) the National Commissioner or (b) any other top management officials within his department received performance bonuses in the 2011-12 financial year; if not, what is the position in this regard; if so, what (i) are the names of the officials who received bonuses, (ii) are their designations, (iii) amount was paid to them and (iv) criteria were used, in each case, to determine how the individuals were eligible for bonuses?NW3903E
REPLY:
(a) The National Commissioner's annual appraisal is dealt with by the Public Service Commission.
(b) (i), (ii) (iii) and (iv)
The 2011/2012 financial year moderation for Senior Managers has not taken place yet.
Reply received: November 2012
PARLIAMENTARY QUESTION NO: 3017
DATE SUBMITTED TO PARLIAMENT: Friday, 16 November 2012
Mr J van der Linde (DA) to ask the Minister of Correctional Services:
Whether the accounting officer submitted the annual financial statements for the financial year ending 31 March 2012 to him by 31 August 2012; if not, (a) why not and (b) on what date (i) were the statements submitted to him and (ii) did he submit the annual report and financial statements to Parliament? NW3784E
REPLY:
(a) The annual financial statements (AFS) for the year ended 31 March 2012 were submitted to the Auditor-General South Africa (AGSA) for auditing and National Treasury on 31 May 2012, in line with section 40(1)(c)(i) and (ii) of the Public Finance Management Act 1 of 1999 (PFMA).
The submission to the AGSA and National Treasury was done after the 2011/12 AFS were presented to the Minister of Correctional Services on 14 May 2012 and the Audit Committee on 24 May 2012. The signed 2011/12 AFS were submitted to the Minister of Correctional Services on 01 June 2012.
There were material audit differences that could not be resolved with AGSA in the draft audit report tabled before the DCS Audit Committee on 29 July 2012. On 01 August 2012, AGSA issued an audit communication on a further qualification issue.
In view of the above, a request was made to AGSA to grant DCS an extension until 31 August 2012 for submission of the final audited annual financial statements for 2011/12, in order to resolve some of the qualification issues. The Minister, Deputy Minister, Chairperson of DCS Audit Committee and the Director-General of National Treasury were informed of the requested extension, in line with section 40(5) of the PFMA. AGSA granted DCS extension until 31 August 2012. The final audited 2011/12 AFS were submitted to AGSA on 30 August 2012.
(b)(i) The final audited 2011/12 AFS were submitted to the Minister of Correctional Services on 18 September 2012 together with AGSA audit report and annual report on the activities of the Department for year ended 31 March 2012.
(ii) Yes, the annual report and the annual financial statements were submitted to Parliament on 27 September 2012.
Reply received: October 2012
PARLIAMENTARY QUESTION NO: 2898
DATE SUBMITTED TO PARLIAMENT: Tuesday, 30 October 2012
Mr J Selfe (DA) to ask the Minister of Correctional Services:
(1) Whether his department published a magazine entitled National Corrections Excellence Awards 2010-11; if not, what is the position in this regard; if so, how much did this publication cost;
(2) whether (a) a certain financial institution (name furnished) and/or (b) any other entity paid any of the cost associated with the publication of this magazine; if so, (i) which entity contributed and (ii) what amounts were paid by each entity in this regard? NW3574E
REPLY:
(1) Yes, 49 079 copies were printed at a cost of R242 464, 95.
(2) (a) No
(b) No, the budget of the Directorate Service Delivery Improvement was utilised.
(i) and (ii) Fall away.
Reply received: November 2012
PARLIAMENTARY QUESTION NO: 2895
DATE SUBMITTED TO PARLIAMENT: Thursday, 08 November 2012
Mr J Selfe (DA) to ask the Minister of Correctional Services:
(1) (a)(i) When and (ii) where was the National Corrections Excellence Awards 2010-11 held and (b) what was the total cost of the event including expenditure on travel and accommodation;
(2) whether (a) certain financial institution (name furnished) and (b) any other entity (i) partly or (ii) wholly sponsored the event; if so, (aa) which entity sponsored the event and (bb) what amounts were paid;
(3) whether the recipients of the awards received any monetary reward; if so, (a) what amounts were paid to such recipients, (b) by whom were these amounts paid and (c) how were the amounts effected? NW3571E
REPLY:
(1) (a) (i) 17 February 2012
(ii) East London International Convention Centre
(b) The total cost of the event was R3 713 516.
(2) (a) (i) and (ii) Yes
(b) Yes
(aa) GEMS
(bb) Small gifts were provided, which were given to all the invitees as part of a bigger gifts bag.
(3) Yes
(a) The following amounts were paid to the recipients
§ Individuals - first place: R5 000
§ Individuals - second place: R2 000
§ Individuals - third place: R2 000
§ Teams - winning team received: R20 000
(b) Amounts were sponsored by Capitec Bank.
(c) Capitec Bank vouchers to the value of the prize money were provided to the winners. The individual prices were for personal developmental needs. The team price money was for the development needs of the project and roll-out activities. Quarterly expenditure reports are submitted.
Reply received: November 2012
PARLIAMENTARY QUESTION NO: 2883
DATE SUBMITTED TO PARLIAMENT: Thursday, 08 November 2012
Mr J Selfe (DA) to ask the Minister of Correctional Services:
With reference to uniforms for (a) prisoners and (b) prison guards, (i) what fabric does his department use and (ii) where is this fabric sourced from? NW3558E
REPLY:
(a) (i) Fabric uniforms for prisoners, the following fabrics are being used:
Fabric, corrections printed, colour orange
Fabric, corrections printed, colour white
Fabric, corrections printed, colour red
Fabric, cotton interlock, colour ceder greeen
Fabric, field dress, colour oxford blue
Fabri, fleece, colour beech brown
Fabric, knitted rib, colour beech brown
Fabric, cotton flannelette, colour larkspur blue
Fabric, cotton flannelette, colour light yellow
Fabric, suiting, colour charcoal grey
Fabric, taffeta, colour orange
(ii) The fabrics are sourced from transversal contract RT60, arranged and managed by National Treasury.
(b) (i) For uniforms for prison guards, the following fabrics are being used:
Fabric, shirting polyester/ cotton, colour mushroom
Fabric, polyester/ wool, colour stone beige
Fabric, field dress, polyester/ cotton, colour autumn brown
Fabric, woollen overcoating, colour brazil nut brown
(ii) The fabrics are sourced from transversal contract RT60, arranged and managed by National Treasury.
Reply received: November 2012
PARLIAMENTARY QUESTION NO: 2772
DATE SUBMITTED TO PARLIAMENT: Thursday, 08 November 2012
Mr J Selfe (DA) to ask the Minister of Correctional Services:
(1) Whether his department contracted the services of a certain company (name furnished) for the maintenance of fences at various correctional facilities; if not, how was this conclusion reached; if so, (a) when did this contract come into operation, (b) what was the value per month of the contract at the time that the tender was awarded, (c) how many correctional facilities are included in this contract and (d) when does the contract expire;
(2) whether the contract has an escalation clause; if not, why not; if so, what is the value per month of the contract;
(3) whether he has found that the services rendered under this contract are being supplied in accordance with the specific terms of the contract at all facilities concerned; if not, why not; if so, what specific services are being rendered;
(4) whether his department intends to extend this contract; if not, what other measures will be put in place to maintain the fences; if so, what process will be followed to affect such an extension? NW3421E
REPLY
(1) Yes, the Department contracted the services of the company to which reference is made.
(a) The contract was awarded on 30 November 2005.
(b) The value of the maintenance, which commenced on 1 January 2009, was
R1, 057,350.00 monthly for four years (subject to one increase per the CPIX per year)
(c) 48 Correctional Centres
(d) 31 December 2012
(2) Yes, there is an escalation clause, the current value per month is
R1, 289, 877.07
(3) Yes, services were rendered according to specifications.
(4) No, a new contract will be invited.
Reply received: November 2012
PARLIAMENTARY QUESTION NO: 2769
DATE SUBMITTED TO PARLIAMENT: Friday, 16 November 2012
Mr J Selfe (DA) to ask the Minister of Correctional Services:
(1) Whether her department will assume responsibility for providing services that are currently being provided by Bosasa; if not, why not; if so, when;
(2) whether the target date announced by her department will be met by all (a) correctional centres and (b) management areas; if not, why not, in each case; if so, what are the relevant details, in each case;
(3) whether remedial action will be taken against (a) individuals and (b) institutions responsible for delays; if not, why not; if so, what are the relevant details? NW3418E
REPLY:
(a) No, the Department conducted several audits to determine the state of readiness to in-source the management and rendering of food services of the eight (8) management areas. Each centre was assessed on the following dimensions:
§ Human Resource
§ Equipment and utensils required
§ Health care waste management
§ Contracts, storage of perishable and non-perishables
§ Department of Public Works' maintenance of equipment and infrastructure
§ Transportation of rations
§ Training
§ Agriculture produce
Based on the information available, it is clear that the Department will not be ready to take over the management and the provisions of food services of the eight management areas on 1 February 2013
(2) No. The Department took a decision to advertise a tender for food services of the eight management areas through a bid process and Bid Specification, and the Bid Evaluation Committee has been appointed to run the process. The Department will further conduct Cost Benefit Analysis to establish which one will be the better options between in-sourcing and outsourcing.
(3) No individuals or any institution have been report to delaying the process. If there is, normal disciplinary processes will be followed to deal with them.
Reply received: October 2012
PARLIAMENTARY QUESTION NO: 2704
DATE SUBMITTED TO PARLIAMENT: Monday, 15 October 2012
Mr T D Lee (DA) to ask the Minister of Correctional Services:
Whether his department has awarded any contracts to a certain company (details furnished) since its establishment in 1996; if so, in each case, (a) when was the contract awarded and (b) what was the (i) nature of the contract and (ii) total accumulative value of the tender? NW3322E
REPLY
There is no record on the database which indicates that the Department has awarded any contracts to the said company since its establishment in 1996.
Reply received: October 2012
PARLIAMENTARY QUESTION NO: 2774
DATE SUBMITTED TO PARLIAMENT: Wednesday, 31 October 2012
2774. Mr J Selfe (DA) to ask the Minister of Correctional Services:
(1) What is the position with regard to each specified correctional centre at which the access monitoring control rooms that have been installed by a certain company (name furnished) are not fully operational;
(2) whether his department has taken steps to restore the functionality of access control systems; if not, why not; if so, what (a) steps and (b) is the estimated cost of restoring the functionality of the access control systems;
(3) whether his department intends to outsource access control at any correctional centre; if not, why not; if so, (a) at which centres, (b) what process will be followed, (c) what are the estimated costs and (d) how will the outsourcing affect staff who are currently employed to operate control rooms? NW3423E
REPLY:
(1) Access monitoring control rooms have been installed by the company, Sondolo IT, at 65 Correctional Centres, 6 regional control rooms and one national control room. The position is that none of the total of 72 control rooms is fully operational. A list of all control rooms is attached (Annexure A).
(2) Yes.
(a) The Department is currently in the process to procure the services of a service provider that will be responsible for the necessary repair, upgrading and maintenance of the system for a specified period to restore and maintain full functionality. The Department has appointed the Independent Development Trust (IDT) to assist the Department with the procurement process and normal government tender procedures will be followed.
(b) At this stage information in this regard cannot be disclosed as it can compromise the tender process.
(3) The Department does not intend to outsource access control at any correctional centre. Access control at correctional centres is regarded as a core security function of the Department and should therefore not be outsourced.
(a), (b), (c) and (d)
Fall away.
Reply received: October 2012
PARLIAMENTARY QUESTION NO: 2679
DATE SUBMITTED TO PARLIAMENT: Monday, 15 October 2012
Mr J Selfe (DA) to ask the Minister of Correctional Services:
(1) (a) How many (i) centre-based and (ii) non-centre-based officials in his department have obtained security clearances and (b) officials in his department have not yet obtained security clearances;
(2) (a) what steps has he taken to ensure that (i) all new staff entrants obtain security clearances and (ii) the backlog of those who still have not obtained clearances is dealt with and (b) when is it envisaged that all officials in his department will have security clearances? NW3297E
REPLY
(1)(a) (i)
Eight hundred and thirty nine (839) centre-based officials have obtained security clearances in the Department of Correctional Services (DCS).
(ii) One hundred and eighty three (183) non-centre-based officials in DCS have obtained security clearances.
(b) A total of 39 246 officials DCS have not yet obtained security clearances.
(2)(a) (i)
All prospective shortlisted employees undergo personnel suitability check (PSC) in line
with the National Vetting Strategy. No employee is appointed prior to the completion of
the screening. The security clearance form is processed as soon as the employee
commences duty in the new post.
(ii) A vetting project plan has been developed to prioritise the vetting of identified secret and top secret clearances for Senior Management Service (Chief Deputy Commissioners, Deputy Commissioners and Directors) in critical posts to be completed by the end of December 2012. The vetting of Area Commissioners, Heads of Centres, as well as other identified critical posts will be prioritised over the 2013/14, 2014/15 and 2015/16 financial years.
As per instruction of the State Security Agency (SSA), the DCS' Supply Chain Management (SCM) and Finance personnel have been prioritised from 2011/12. A total of 357 SCM vetting files have been submitted to the SSA for processing during the period of March to July 2012.
Confidential clearances are being processed concurrently with secret and top secret clearances as new personnel are appointed
(2)(b) The PSC screening takes on average one month. The South African Police Service (SAPS) criminal records screening takes 2-30 days, SSA screening and citizen check takes one month and qualifications and credit checks take 2 days. All these processes run concurrently to be able to give HR feedback on the suitability of the candidate and appointment.
The norm for vetting investigations is one month, however it can take up to 3 months depending on the availability of referents. The vetting depends to a large extent on the SSA turnaround times, which is 6 months after the file has been submitted, however it usually takes longer, up to a year or more.
The DCS will be able to complete the processing of the outstanding 39 246 clearances by the end of 2016, however, as mentioned above, the final outcome of DCS personnel obtaining security clearances depends on the SSA.
Reply received: October 2012
PARLIAMENTARY QUESTION NO: 2668
DATE SUBMITTED TO PARLIAMENT: Tuesday, 30 October 2012
Mr J Selfe (DA) to ask the Minister of Correctional Services:
(1) Whether his department has awarded a contract for perimeter detection prison fencing project involving certain facilities (details furnished); if not, why not; if so, (a) when was the contract awarded, (b) what is the value of the contract, (c) to which company or consortium was the contract awarded and (d) what specified (i) goods and (ii) services does the contract involve;
(2) whether the tender was (a) advertised in the tender gazette and (b) open for public tender as required in terms of the Public Finance Management Act, Act 1 of 1999; if not, why not; if so, (i) what was the date of invitation to tender, (ii) how many bids were received and (iii) what (aa) are the names of the companies that submitted bids and (bb) is the financial value of each bid;
(3) whether the invitation to tender for this contract was subsequently withdrawn; if not, why not; if so, why;
(4) whether the contract was awarded subsequent to the withdrawal of the invitation to tender; if not, why not; if so, (a) when and (b) why? NW3286E
REPLY:
(1) (a), (b), (c) and (d) (i) and (ii)
The Department appointed the Independent Development Trust (IDT) to manage the procurement of the perimeter detection prison fencing project due to the fact that the bids received were above the available budget.
The project was for the construction of the integrated security fence in 29 prisons in South Africa, and the following subsystems were included in the tender:
· Outer fence structure, including Kinematics detection systems,
· Inner fence structure, including the Taut wire detection systems,
· Cameras, close circuit television and recording systems,
· Access and movement control system, earthing and lighting protection system, and
· Generators and uninterrupted power supply systems, Sally ports (6) and associated infrastructure.
(2) (a) and (b)
No, the construction of the perimeter detection prison fencing can only be executed by specialist contractors that are registered in the correct class of works with the Construction Industry Development Board (CIDB). To this extent, invitations were extended to contractors who were known to have the requisite expertise and registered in the appropriate grading with CIDB.
(i) The closed tender was issued on 22 November 2012.
(ii) and (iii) (aa) and (bb)
| No | Name of the Bidder | Tender Price (Vat inclusive) |
| 1 | National Fence Joint Venture (JV) | R558,701,441.95 |
| 2 | Gordian Fence SA (Pty) Ltd | R680,591,148.32 |
| 3 | MIS/ Superway JV | R698,800,000.00 |
| 4 | SA Fence and Gate JV | R601,331,780.73 |
(3) Yes, due to the fact that all the tender prices submitted were significantly above the budget and that the IDT and National Treasury had received complaints for potential bidders that felt excluded by the closed tender.
(4) Yes, subsequent to the cancellation of the tender in question, the IDT issued a public tender where the original number of facilities was reduced from 29 to 27 prisons. Bids were only received from three (3) bidders.
(a) 20 February 2012
(b) The bid was awarded to the highest point scorer in line with the Preferential Procurement Policy Framework Act, 2000 (Act No. 5 of 2000).
Reply received: October 2012
PARLIAMENTARY QUESTION NO: 2667
DATE SUBMITTED TO PARLIAMENT: Tuesday, 16 October 2012
Mr J Selfe (DA) to ask the Minister of Correctional Services:
(1) Whether his department has assumed responsibility for security control rooms that have hitherto been operated by a certain company (details furnished); if not, why not; if so, (a) when and (b) in respect of which correctional centres;
(2) whether all the specified control rooms are fully (a) staffed with adequately trained officials and (b) operational; if not, in each case, (i) why not and (ii) what is the position in this regard; if so, in each case, what are the relevant details;
(3) whether any staff appointed to operate the specified control rooms have been promoted since their appointment; if not, why not; if so, what are the relevant details? NW3285E
REPLY
(1) Yes
(a) The Department assumed responsibility for the control rooms on 1 May 2009.
(b) Refer to Annexure 1 for a list of Correctional Centres.
(2)(a) Yes, there are however currently only 5 vacancies out of a total of 413 control room operators namely:
· Gauteng Region - 03
· Kwa-Zulu/Natal Region - 01
· Limpopo/Mpumalanga/North West - 01
(b) The control rooms are not fully operational and only limited monitoring functions are available at this stage.
(i) and (ii)
The major reason for the control rooms not being fully operational is due to various components of the system, and in particular the computer hardware and software that needs to be upgraded and repaired.
The maintenance contract for the system expired on 31 March 2012 and was not extended, nor was a new maintenance contract immediately invited.
The Department is in the process of determining the best options/solutions to upgrade and also to integrate the control rooms with other security systems deployed in the Department, in line with its overall IT strategy. It must also be noted that the so called security control rooms were designed around the access control systems installed by the Department during 2005. The introduction of fencing systems, as well as other security systems, at more correctional centres has created a need for a total redesign of how security systems in the Department should be managed in an integrated manner. There is also a need to upgrade and integrate the current control rooms to meet requirements. This need is also augmented by the possibility of introducing further improvements to the security systems which are currently being investigated, eg, installation of body scanners and CCTV in cells.
The Department has already instructed the Independent Development Trust (IDT) to assist it with the procurement of a new maintenance and upgrading contract which must also address the integration requirements of the control rooms with other systems. This approach is necessary to ensure that the problems associated with security and IT systems, which are not managed and operated as a fully integrated system, are not repeated.
(3) The rank and leg promotions were terminated on 01 July 2001 by means of PSCBC Resolution 7/2000 and replaced by the Career Pathing Models per OSD in terms of the PSCBC Resolution 1/2007. Vacancies are filled on the principle of open competition. This is possible when employees comply with the stipulated criteria.
Reply received: October 2012
PARLIAMENTARY QUESTION NO: 2507
DATE SUBMITTED TO PARLIAMENT: Tuesday, 30 October 2012
Mr J R B Lorimer (DA) to ask the Minister of Correctional Services:
(1) Whether (a) his Ministry, (b) his department and (c) any entity reporting to him plan to host end-of-year parties; if not, in each case, what is the position in this regard; if so, in each case, (i) for how many persons and (ii) at what cost;
(2) whether the cost of the specified end-of-year parties has been budgeted for in the current financial year; if not, from where will the funding be sourced; if so, (a) what amount has been budgeted and (b) from which part of the budget will it be incurred? NW3113E
REPLY:
(1) (a), (b) and (c) (i) and (ii)
No plans are in place to host an end of year party.
(2) (a) and (b)
Fall away.
Reply received: October 2012
PARLIAMENTARY QUESTION NO: 2376
DATE SUBMITTED TO PARLIAMENT: Monday, 15 October 2012
Mr J Selfe (DA) to ask the Minister of Correctional Services:
(1) Whether any offices housing Community Correction centres have been closed owing to rent that was not paid; if so, in each case, (a) what are the relevant details of the office and (b) why was the rent not paid;
(2) (a) what alternative arrangements have been made for the supervision of parolees and probationers and (b) how many parolees and probationers have been affected in each case;
(3) whether any (a) parolees and (b) probationers have failed to report to their probation officers after the specified offices were closed; if not, why not in each case; if so, in each case, (i) how many and (ii) what steps have been taken against them;
(4) what steps has he taken to avoid a repetition of such closing of Community Corrections offices? NW2958E
REPLY:
(1) Yes
(a) Johannesburg Community Corrections office was closed because the Department of Correctional Services (DCS) occupied more space than the contracted space. The contracted space is 1636 m2. The department occupied 1636 m2 + 404 m2, which is 404 m2 more than what was procured by Department of Public Works (DPW) for DCS.
(b) The rent for the additional unauthorized space occupied by Johannesburg Community Corrections was not paid for as DCS was expected to move out the offices. It is alleged that DPW had not paid monthly rentals to the landlord as per contract. The DCS pays monthly rental for all rented buildings to DPW according to invoices submitted with the understanding that DPW was paying the rental for the authorized space.
This matter only came to the Department's attention after receiving a letter from the landlord's lawyer indicating that DPW has not been paying rent for some months. DPW subsequently paid the outstanding rentals after the offices were closed.
(2)(a) These arrangements include, inter alia, the following:
· A formal communication was forwarded to local Community Corrections Offices informing them about the temporary closure of the Johannesburg Community Corrections Office and supplying them with contact details;
· A mobile office has been established next to Johannesburg Community Corrections Office to serve as an alternative arrangement for the supervision of parolees and probationers;
· The majority of parolees and probationers from surrounding areas and Soweto were re-routed to the Johannesburg Management Area where a temporary office has been established to process new admissions and releases of parolees and probationers; and
· All parolees and probationers are monitored accordingly by their monitoring officials. This can largely be attributed to the fact that the majority of monitoring officials are familiar with their caseloads.
(b) A total of 3700 parolees and 500 probationers were affected by the temporary closure of Johannesburg Community Corrections Office.
(3) (a) and (b) (i) and (ii)
In the context of the DCS, parolees and probationers report to monitoring officials instead of probation officers.
All parolees and probationers honoured all their scheduled appointments as determined by their monitoring officials. The DCS will be in a position to reconcile the information on the community corrections system with the information captured manually during the lockout.
(4) All Regional Commissioners of DCS have been instructed to ensure that officials only occupy the space that has been legally rented.
Officials occupying offices that are not part of the lease shall be held response and liable for such payment. The Department of Public Works will be sensitised to ensure that monthly payments are done as per contract.
Reply received: September 2012
PARLIAMENTARY QUESTION NO: 2297
DATE SUBMITTED TO PARLIAMENT: Wednesday, 05 September 2012
Mr T W Coetzee (DA) to ask the Minister of Correctional Services:
(a) What steps has he taken to give effect to the performance agreement that he signed with the President in 2010, (b) what outcomes have been measured and (c) what follow-up steps has he taken with regard to each specified outcome? NW2880E
REPLY
The Minister of Correctional Services was appointed to his new position on 12 June 2012 following a Cabinet reshuffling by the President, and he therefore took over and continued with the implementation of the delivery agreements as signed by his predecessor.
(a) The Annual Performance Plan of the Department is aligned to the outputs of outcome 3, 11 and 12 as a signatory and delivery partner. To measure progress made, the Department submits monthly and quarterly progress reports against set targets to secretariats of various outcomes.
(b) Outcomes 3, 11 and 12
(c) The Mid-Term Review and refinement of the Delivery Agreement was only done on Outcome 3 , wherein the output " rehabilitation of offenders" was changed to an activity.
Reply received: August 2012
PARLIAMENTARY QUESTION 2176
DATE SUBMITTED: Thursday, 30 August 2012
Mr M R Sayedali Shah (DA) to ask the Minister of Correctional Services:
Whether (a) his department or (b) any entity reporting to him makes use of private security
firms; if so, in each case, (i) which firms and (ii) what is the (aa) purpose, (bb) value and (cc)
duration of each specified contract? NW2699E
REPLY:
(a) and (b) Yes.
(i) Phezulu Fencing Company
(aa) The contract is limited to maintenance of security fences.
(bb) The total value of the maintenance contract is R50 752 800,00 over four (4) years (The contract also allows for an annual increase equal to the CPIX index).
(cc) This is a 4-year maintenance contract (01 January 2008 to 31 December 2012).
Reply received: September 2012
PARLIAMENTARY QUESTION NO: 2096
DATE SUBMITTED TO PARLIAMENT: Wednesday, 12 September 2012
Mr V B Ndlovu (IFP) to ask the Minister of Correctional Services:
Whether any staff members of his department are employed in an acting capacity; if so, (a) in what position is each specified person so employed, (b) what processes is his department following to fill the specified positions permanently and (c) when will the specified positions be filled? NW2013E
REPLY:
Yes.
(a) Currently there are 72 officials appointed in acting capacity; officials are appointed in vacant higher positions such as supervisory; junior management; middle management and senior management levels.
| Positions | Salary level | Total acting officials |
| Senior Correctional Officer | 8 | 20 |
| Assistant Director | 9 | 21 |
| Deputy Director | 11 | 14 |
| Director | 13 | 16 |
| Chief Director | 14 | 1 |
(b) Most of the vacancies have been advertised, the department places adverts on monthly basis. Ideally, all vacant posts should be advertised, but critical posts are prioritised and advertised with the intention of filling them first.
(c) In respect of the posts that have been advertised the selection process has commenced. See attached table.
Reply received: August 2012
PARLIAMENTARY QUESTION 2063
DATE SUBMITTED: Thursday, 30 August 2012
Mr M R Sayedali Shah (DA) to ask the Minister of Correctional Services:
(1) Whether (a) he, (b) his Deputy Minister and (c) any official from an entity reporting to him will be attending or attended, the 2012 Olympic Games; if so, what is the (i)(aa) name, (bb) rank and (cc) position/designation of each specified person accompanying (aaa) him, (bbb) his Deputy Minister and (ccc) each specified person and (ii)(aa) nature and (bb) official reason for the visit
(2) what (a) total amount will be spent or has been spent on the trip, (b) is the (i) description and (ii) detailed breakdown of the amounts that will be spent or have been spent on (aa) accommodation, (bb) travel and (cc) subsistence costs and (c) from which budget will these funds be incurred in each case? NW2543E
REPLY:
(1) (a), (b) and (c) (i) (aa), (bb) and (cc) (aaa), (bbb), (ccc) and (ii) (aa) and (bb)
Neither the Minister, Deputy Minister nor any official attended the 2012 London Olympic Games.
(2) (a), (b) (i), (ii) (aa), (bb) and (cc) and (c)
Fall away.
Reply received: August 2012
PARLIAMENTARY QUESTION NO: 2045
DATE SUBMITTED TO PARLIAMENT: Friday, 24 August 2012
Mr J Selfe (DA) to ask the Minister of Correctional Services:
(1) Which (a) person or (b) institution approved the release of Mr Jackie Selebi on medical parole in terms of section 79(1) of the Correctional Services Act, Act 8 of 1959;
(2) whether the factors outlined in section 79(5) were taken into consideration with regard to Mr Selebi's parole; if not, why not; if so, what are the relevant details;
(3) Whether complainants were allowed to make representations about his proposed placement on parole; if not, what is the position in this regard; if so, what are the relevant details? NW2525E
REPLY:
(1) (a) Not applicable.
(b) Mr Selebi's placement on medical parole was approved by the Correctional Supervision and Parole Board of Pretoria Management Area.
(2) Yes, the Correctional Supervision and Parole Board considered factors outlined in Section 79(5) of the Correctional Services Act, Act 111 of 1998, as amended.
(3) No victims registered any need to be involved when his possible placement was considered.
Although in terms of Section 299A of the Criminal Procedure Act, Act 51 of 1977, a duty rests with a victim to inform the National Commissioner / Parole Board of the intent to make representations or attend a meeting of the Parole Board, however, Parole Boards would generally attempt to contact victims who have not registered such a need, provided that they are aware who the victims are, and if they have the contact details of such victims. In the case of Mr Selebi, no particulars of individual victims were available to the Parole Board.
Reply received: October 2012
PARLIAMENTARY QUESTION NO: 2014
DATE SUBMITTED TO PARLIAMENT: Monday, 15 October 2012
Ms B D Ferguson (Cope) to ask the Minister of Correctional Services:
What are the criteria and screening mechanisms for granting special permission to release prisoners? NW2490E
REPLY:
The President granted the 6 months special remission of sentence to all offenders, probationers and parolees, and the additional 12 months special remission was granted to offenders who were not convicted of aggressive crimes, firearm related crimes, sexual offenses and drug related crimes. Those declared as dangerous by the court, those who were still at large after escaping or absconding, and those who evaded the justice system following their release on bail pending appeal against their convictions/sentences, were excluded from the remission process.
The special remission was therefore allocated promotionally to those who qualified for immediate unconditional release. In all other cases, the normal procedures relating to consideration for possible placement, taking into account the new consideration dates following the allocation of the special remission, were followed.
The completion of a compulsory pre-release assessment and the attendance of a compulsory pre-release programme was a pre-requisite before the conditional or unconditional release of offenders could take place, as this would assist with their re-integration into the community and to facilitate the acquisition of support systems.