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

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 college’s 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 delegation’s 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 Committee’s 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 DCS’s 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 DCS’s 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 college’s 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 College’s storerooms. Officials explained that uniforms received from the DCS’s 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 College’s 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 gymnasium’s 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 College’s 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 College’s 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 DCS’s 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 College’s 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 delegation’s concerns about learners receiving training mainly in English and no training in communication in other languages that were widespread throughout correctional centres, the College’s 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 legislation’s implementation. In 2012, 823 officials were trained, and in the months preceding the visit, 461. The College’s 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 Children’s 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 PALAMA’s 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 DCS’s senior management not prioritising the training and development of employees, and a lack of commitment to growing the DCS’s human resource capacity. The DCS’s failure in this regard has impacted very negatively on their ability to rehabilitate offenders, as well as on the DCS’s 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 directorate’s 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 DCS’s assistance to other countries should be balanced with its responsibilities locally.

4. ACKNOWLEDGEMENT

The Committee wishes to express its appreciation to the DCS’s Directorate: Core Curriculum, and especially the management and staff at the Zonderwater Training College for their cooperation during the visit.

Report to be considered