ATC140226: Report of the Portfolio Committee on Correctional Services on its Oversight visit to the Zonderwater Correctional Training College in August 2013 - 26 February 2014
Correctional Services
REPORT OF THE
PORTFOLIO COMMITTEE ON CORRECTIONAL SERVICES ON ITS OVERSIGHT VISIT TO THE
ZONDERWATER CORRECTIONAL TRAINING COLLEGE IN AUGUST 2013 - 26 FEBRUARY 2014
1.
INTRODUCTION
1.1.
Prior to 1994 there were three
correctional training centres in South Africa: one in the Western Cape for
Coloured and Indian trainees; one in Gauteng for Black trainees; and one in the
Free State for White trainees. The Western Cape centre has since been closed,
and the two remaining centres cater for all trainees. Although both colleges
now accepted trainees regardless of race, differences in the quality of the
infrastructure remained.
1.2
A delegation of the Portfolio Committee
on Correctional Services (the Committee) visited the
Zonderwater
Correctional Training College (the College) in Gauteng on 1 August 2013. The
visit comprised a site inspection, a briefing by the Department of Correctional
Services Directorate: Core Curriculum and the training colleges management,
and a debriefing session during which the Department of Correctional Services
(DCS) and Department of Public Works (DPW) officials present had an opportunity
to respond to the delegations preliminary observations. This report comprises
observations made during the oversight visit, and Committee recommendations.
1.3
A delegation of the Committee visited
the Kroonstad Correctional Training College in June 2011. This report should
therefore be read along with the relevant sections of the Committees oversight
report on oversight visits undertaken between July and August 2011, and dated 2
November 2011.
2.
OBSERVATIONS
2.1
Corporate Services
Establishment
2.1.1
The Directorate: Core Curriculum was tasked
with ensuring that the DCSs service delivery was improved through the
development and enhancement of its organisational capacity, and the
professionalisation
of its human resource management.
2.1.2
The training colleges were established in
terms of Section3(5)(d) of the Correctional Services Act (Act 111 of 1998), to
provide the administration, training, development and educational support that
should underpin the DCSs service delivery.
2.1.3
The colleges could accommodate a total of 1
032 learners, and were also utilised for functional training programmes to
other employees, and other Safety and Security, Sector Education and Training
Authority - sanctioned
learnerships
.
Human
Resource Management
2.1.4
The two training colleges had a post establishment
of 228. At the time of the visit 103 of
Zonderwater
colleges
125 posts were filled. Only 37 (29.6%) of the officials employed at the
Zonderwater
college, and 22 (21
,35
%)
of those employed at the Kroonstad college were correctional trainers.
2.1.5
The DCS emphasised that the colleges were
inadequately staffed. Human resource challenges were exacerbated by the fact
that those employed at the colleges were classified as non-centre based
officials, and therefore received lower salaries. This classification had
resulted in many qualified facilitators migrating to better paid centre-based
posts.
Budget
2.1.6
In the years between 2009 and 2013 the
Zonderwater
college received a total of approximately R36
million, and the Kroonstad college, approximately R34 million
[1]
.
The allocation was supplemented by discretionary grants received from Safety
and Security, Sector Education and Training Authority (SASSETA).
2.1.7
To operate at full capacity the colleges
would have required a budget of R57 820 166, 24 in 2013/14. A budget of that
size would have funded recruitment processes, theoretical learning and its associated
costs, experiential learning and its associated costs as well as the R3 500
stipend paid to each learner per month.
2.1.8
While the allocation provided to the
Kroonstad college showed a sharp decrease in 2012 when it received only R530
000. The allocation to the
Zonderwater
college was
greatest in 2011 when it received R14 289 600.
2.1.9
It was clear that the Directorate: Core
Curriculum was severely under-funded. Officials indicated that the late allocation
contributed to challenges: allocations were typically made in December, which
meant that it was seldom possible to utilise funds efficiently. The delay in
allocations made planning impossible. The lack of resources had resulted in the
colleges only being able to accommodate one intake of learners in the three
years preceding the visit.
2.1.10
In 2009 the R5 125
800-budget
allocated to the college was spent on the training of correctional centre control
room operators.
Supply Chain
Management
2.1.11
Uniforms for new learners were kept in the
Colleges storerooms. Officials explained that uniforms received from the DCSs
depot were often either too large or too small
..
Uniforms that were too big could be altered at the nearby correctional centre
factories, but there was little that could be done with uniforms that were too
small.
2.1.12
The College had a 27-vehicle fleet, and
reported no accidents in the 12 months prior the visit. All the vehicles were
in good working condition.
2.1.13
The College had an arsenal comprising,
amongst others, shotguns,
glocks
(combat pistols)
and ammunition. The delegation was informed that all safety precautions were
observed during training sessions, and in the management of the arsenal, and.
2.2
Infrastructure
Facilities
2.2.1
The
delegation visited the Colleges college classrooms, gymnasium, sleeping
quarters, arsenal, uniform storage rooms, kitchen and dining hall.
2.2.2
The gymnasium was used for parades and
physical training, and was accessible to learners after 4pm for their own use. When
no training was taking place, other departments could make use of the
facilities too. At the time of the visit some equipment was out of order and
plans were underway to replace them. The delegation observed that the gymnasiums
walls required painting: a service provider had been appointed through the DPW,
but he filed bankruptcy halfway through the project and therefore the paintwork
could not be completed.
2.2.3
The College had its own kitchen in which all
meals were prepared. The kitchen was managed by the DCS itself, and inmates
from the nearby
Zonderwater
Correctional Centre
worked in its kitchen. At the time of the visit the pantries were not fully
stocked as the last learners had left the centre about a week prior to the
visits.
2.2.4
Male and female learners were accommodated in
separate dormitories. Although the dormitories were clean and appeared to meet
learners needs, the infrastructure required renovation to modernise the
ablution facilities especially.
2.2.5
The delegation was disturbed to learn that
the College did not have a library, and that nothing appeared to have been done
to address the situation, since the need for a library was registered in
2010/11.
Information Technology
2.2.6
The Colleges IT infrastructure was wholly
inadequate for a training institution: only a small number of offices had IT
installations.
Accessibility (for people with
disabilities)
2.2.7
Although the Kroonstad
college
was somewhat accessible to persons with disabilities, the
Zonderwater
college was not at all. The need for greater accessibility had been registered
with the DPW as far as back as 2000, but little progress has been made since
then. In the interim the Directorate tried to prescribe to regions on the
degree of disability they could accommodate. The DPW confirmed that a programme
to improve accessibility was rolled out in 2012/13. Phase I catered for the
Baviaanspoort
and
Zonderwater
correctional centres, and Phase 2 would cater for the colleges and other DCS
facilities.
Maintenance
2.2.8
The Colleges management confirmed that its
budget did not allow for a maintenance unit, and that therefore all maintenance
needs had to be submitted to the
Zonderwater
Area
Management.
2.3
Training
Overview
2.3.1
Between 2009 and 2013 the DCS offered a
range of programmes which included
learnerships
;
firearm training, training to professionals, artisans and public service
appointees; and training on the implementation of the
Criminal Law (Sexual Offences and Related Matters) Amendment Act
(Act 32 of 2007). It was explained that the intake per year was informed by
forecasted entry-level needs, and the budgets allocated to colleges.
2.3.2
In 2013/14 the DCS would have, in consultation
with the Quality Council for Trades and Occupations (QTCO) developed an
occupational qualification in Corrections at NQF Level 5. The new qualification
would ensure that learners received training in amongst others, measures to
address overcrowding, in ensuring humane detention, in efficient parole
administration, and in the management of special categories of offenders (e.g. women,
juveniles) and remand detainees. The new qualification may result in the
learnership
being extended from four to six months.
2.3.3
The Directorate: Core Curriculum would also
facilitate the accreditation of correctional centre-schools in the DCSs
Limpopo/Mpumalanga/North West (LMN), Eastern Cape,
Kwazulu
Natal
abnd
Free State/Northern Cape regions.
2.3.4
The DCS reported very good relationships
with key stakeholders. SASSETA served as a partner and oversight body,
providing technical advice and discretionary grant funding for training
projects in line with its National Skills Development Strategy (NSDS 111), and
had in recent years also increased its training of facilitators, college
managers, assessors and moderators. The Education and Training Quality
Assurance (ETQA) bodies moderated and verified
learnerships
,
while the QTCO provided guidance and direction in the development of
occupationally-based
qualificatons
. The Public
Administration Leadership and Management Academy (PALAMA) provided
materails
and support for the induction and orientation of
public service employees.
2.3.5
In addition to the above, the DCS reported
good relationships with the South African Police Service (SAPS), and
departments of Labour (DOL), Health (DOH) and Justice (
DoJ&CD
).
SAPS provided assistance during training sessions on fingerprint-taking and the
management of hostage situations. The DOL provided technical advice on
Occupational Health and Safety-related matters, and training aligned to the
Compensation for Occupational Injuries and
Diseases Act
(Act 61 of 1997); the DOH provided medical care to learners
who fell ill; and the
DoJ&CD
facilitated
practical learning experiences at courts.
2.3.6
At the time of the visit, the DCS was
assisting its counterparts in Mozambique, Botswana, Southern Sudan, Namibia and
Zimbabwe with the development of their own basic training and skills
programmes.
2.3.7
The colleges had been among the facilities
targeted for Anti-Corruption workshops in the 2021/13 financial year, and the
delegation was surprised that the curriculum did not appear to make provision
for training on how to identify, and prevent maladministration and corruption.
Learnership
2.3.8
The DCS confirmed that no learners were
enrolled in 2009 as the programme was still being developed at that stage.
Between 2010 and 2013 3 487 learners were enrolled. Of that number 1 168 were
at the
Zonderwater
College
[2]
.
2.3.9
Learners completed seven training modules
covering internal and external security duties, and security equipment (Module
1); the corrections environment, the offender rehabilitation path, and security
reports and statements (Module 2); security-related conflict and human rights
in corrections (Module 3); health, development and well-being of offenders
(Module 4); Afrikaans communication (Module 5); English communication (Module
6); and Mathematics Literacy (Module 7).
2.3.10
The Colleges management explained that the DCS
should ideally have three learner-intakes per year, but that this was not
possible owing to budgetary constraints as well as human and other resource
challenges. These made it difficult to monitor and moderate learners
performance upon completion of their theoretical training.
2.3.11
Noting the delegations concerns about
learners receiving training mainly in English and no training in communication
in other languages that were widespread throughout correctional centres, the Colleges
management explained that the DCS had opted for English as the medium of
instruction because officials were required to compile reports and statements
in English.
2.3.12
In
2012/13 the DCS
reported 358 cases and 299 enquiries into allegations of fraud and corruption.
Fifty-nine officials had eventually been found guilty in the cases that could
be pursued. Despite paragraph 8.11 of the White Paper in which the DCS
committed itself to intensifying its campaign and processes to systematically
and comprehensively prevent corruption and mismanagement the curriculum did
not provide for training that would raise awareness of, and combat corruption.
Criminal Law (Sexual Offences and
Related Matters) legislation
2.3.13
Training on the implementation of the
legislation only started in 2012, when it became a requirement of the
DoJ&CD
that such training be offered by all departments
with a role in the legislations implementation. In 2012, 823 officials were
trained, and in the months preceding the visit, 461. The Colleges management did
not believe that the training provided was sufficient to ensure a clear
understanding of what was required of the DCS. More training was also required
in relation to the implementation of the Childrens Act (Act 37 of 2005) ad
Child Justice Act (Act 75 of 2008).
Orientation and Induction of new
appointees (professionals, artisans, etc)
2.3.14
A total of 1 599 officials attended
orientation and induction sessions at the Kroonstad
college
in 2009, 2011, 2012 and 2013. The college offered no such training in 2010. The
Zonderwater
College trained 495 in 2013; no training
took place in the preceding years.
2.3.15
The DCS intended for 72 newly appointed
employees to participate in PALAMAs compulsory public service induction
programmes in 2013/14.
Fire-arm training
2.3.16
Although
no such
training took place in 2009, 5 424 officials received firearm training between
2010 and July 2013
[3]
.
In 2013/14 the DCS intended to provide 1 000 officials with training related to
the
Firearms Control Amendment Act
(Act 28 of 2006).
3.
RECOMMENDATIONS
The Committee requests that the Minister of Correctional Services (the Minister) ensures that the following recommendations are considered, and where possible, implemented.
3.1 Despite the aspects highlighted under sections 8.7 to 8.13 of the White Paper on Corrections, the Directorate: Core Curriculum was grossly under-resourced and therefore could not deliver on its mandate. The visit highlighted that the insufficient and late budget allocation, lack of trainers, and inadequate infrastructure were most likely related to the DCSs senior management not prioritising the training and development of employees, and a lack of commitment to growing the DCSs human resource capacity. The DCSs failure in this regard has impacted very negatively on their ability to rehabilitate offenders, as well as on the DCSs public image, and its ability to address long-standing administrative and discipline-related weaknesses.
3.2 The DCS should, as a matter of urgency, perform a skills audit to determine what the training needs of current employees are, and to establish what training should be prioritised for new recruits. The skills audit should be accompanied by an audit of the Core Curriculum directorates capacity, which should include an assessment of the infrastructural upgrades required at its colleges. The audits should be performed before the migration from the NQF Level 4 to NQF Level 5 qualification has been completed, so as to ensure that improvements included those necessary to deliver the higher qualification.
3.3 The Committee noted the assistance the DCS was providing to its counterparts in other countries. While the Committee encourages support to neighboring countries especially, assistance as far as training should be reviewed to allow the DCS to channel its resources towards the improvement of the training curriculum, the conditions under which training took place, and attracting learners. The DCSs assistance to other countries should be balanced with its responsibilities locally.
4.
ACKNOWLEDGEMENT
The Committee wishes
to express its appreciation to the DCSs Directorate: Core Curriculum, and
especially the management and staff at the
Zonderwater
Training College for their cooperation during the visit.
Report to
be considered
[1]
Kroonstad
allocation: R7 417 500 (2009); R530 000 (2010); R11 928300 (2011); R6 867 400
(2012); R7 130 000 (2013)
Zonderwater
allocation: R5 125 800 (2009); R6 439 000
(2010); R14 289 600 (2011); R6 439
000
(2012); R3 649 000 (2013)
[2]
Zonderwater
Training College: 491 (2010); 479 (2011); 480 (2012); 218 (2013)
Kroonstad
Training College: 524 (2010); 527 (2011); 530 (2012); 238 (2013)
[3]
Firearm training offered at both centres: 1 015
(2010); 1 900 (2011); 1 929 (2012); and 580 (2013)
Documents
No related documents