9 17 6 - Correctional Services
9 17 6 - Correctional Services
9 17 6 - Correctional Services
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i n s i d e<br />
Viva<br />
Imbeleko<br />
3<br />
Corrections<br />
Honouring<br />
M A N A G E M E N T N E W S<br />
Contact<br />
women<br />
centre<br />
opens lines<br />
6<br />
JULY/AUGUST 2009<br />
Airwaves are<br />
cooking in<br />
Brandvlei<br />
JULY/AUGUST 2009<br />
Scooping hundreds<br />
of medals at<br />
international games<br />
By Tshifhiwa Magadani and Braam Scheepers<br />
9 <strong>17</strong><br />
A triumphant DCS team of 134<br />
sportswomen and men returned<br />
from Canada on 12 August<br />
bringing home with them 216<br />
medals.
SA Corrections Today is the national<br />
internal newsletter of the Department<br />
of <strong>Correctional</strong> <strong>Services</strong>, Republic of<br />
South Africa<br />
Patron: Minister of <strong>Correctional</strong><br />
<strong>Services</strong>, Deputy Minister of<br />
<strong>Correctional</strong> <strong>Services</strong><br />
Editor in Chief: Bheki Manzini<br />
Editor: Estelle Coetzee<br />
Layout Editor: Nathan van den Bergh<br />
Published by the Department of<br />
<strong>Correctional</strong> <strong>Services</strong>, Private Bag<br />
X136, Pretoria 0001.<br />
Tel: (012) 307 2296 Fax: (012) 323 4942<br />
Repro and printing facilitated by the<br />
Government Printing Works, Pretoria.<br />
The opinions expressed in SA<br />
Corrections Today are those of<br />
the authors and do not necessarily<br />
represent those of the editor or the<br />
Department of <strong>Correctional</strong> <strong>Services</strong>.<br />
The editor reserves the right to alter any<br />
contribution or not to publish it.<br />
Letters to the editor that are published<br />
in this newsletter represent the personal<br />
view of the writers and do not reflect the<br />
views of the Department of <strong>Correctional</strong><br />
<strong>Services</strong>. The editor reserves the right<br />
to amend or reject letters. Letters should<br />
be sent to The Editor, SA Corrections<br />
Today, Private Bag X136, Pretoria<br />
0001 and must be clearly marked “For<br />
publication in SA Corrections Today”.<br />
It can also be e-mailed to:<br />
estelle.coetzee@dcs.gov.za<br />
Copyright is reserved on all material in<br />
this publication. Permission has to be<br />
sought in writing.<br />
M A N A G E M E N T N E W S<br />
From the editor...<br />
This year will probably go down as a difficult<br />
year for most South Africans and<br />
for the rest of the world due to the global<br />
recession. However, it is in such times that<br />
one should focus on factors that are causes<br />
for optimism. DCS members’ sport achievements<br />
in Canada in August are a strong indication<br />
that we can be counted on as some of<br />
the best in the world.<br />
If one also consider ordinary members’<br />
compassion and selflessness on Mandela Day<br />
and the total effect their outreach projects<br />
have had on the poor and neglected, then it<br />
is easy to have faith in the abilities and com-<br />
2 SA Corrections Today<br />
mitment of DCS officials.<br />
Project Imbeleko, initiated by the Ministry,<br />
has sparked a renewed interest in the care of<br />
babies behind bars. Perhaps it is opportune to<br />
take this initiative further to the visiting areas<br />
in our correctional centres.<br />
The UK’s Prison Service News recently<br />
reported on the effectiveness of their newly<br />
established children and family visiting<br />
rooms. They reckoned that since a significant<br />
number of their offenders were fathers, they<br />
wanted to encourage safe and friendly contact<br />
between offender fathers and their children.<br />
And so an idea was born.<br />
Some of their NGO partners warmed to<br />
the idea of strengthening the parenting role<br />
of male offenders and helped<br />
them to establish childfriendly<br />
rooms complete<br />
with toys and books. It is<br />
hoped that such parentchild<br />
contact will aid the rehabilitation<br />
process of their<br />
offenders. And they might<br />
be right.<br />
Go to MIS training and get clever<br />
By Molatelo Mokumo<br />
<strong>Correctional</strong> officials are urged to attend the two day<br />
Management Information System (MIS) introductory course to<br />
capacitate themselves with how to access up to date offender<br />
information.<br />
Said Martie Van Eeden (DD Offender<br />
Information), “Knowing how to operate<br />
the MIS enables members to<br />
handle offender enquiries hassle-free. If<br />
you are a manager, the system will help<br />
you be a better manager because you<br />
will know the nitty-gritty of the business<br />
of corrections, particularly offender information.”<br />
The training sessions were prompted by<br />
the fact that correctional officials, including<br />
senior managers, kept on frequenting<br />
the Information Management Directorate<br />
to request information that is available<br />
on every member’s computer, had they<br />
known how to access it.<br />
Joseph Nkambule (ASD Offender Information)<br />
conducted the sessions with the<br />
theme, “Information is the new currency,<br />
save it and distribute it wisely.”<br />
Learning how to operate the MIS programme<br />
is fairly simple. However, it was<br />
a bit disappointing that members did not<br />
respond so keenly with their attendance.<br />
Mr Nkambule also regretted the ongoing<br />
non-compliance that leads to the MIS<br />
link being updated late. “We are supposed<br />
to update the link on the third of<br />
every month with offender information<br />
from the 238 correctional centres. However,<br />
we cannot update the system as<br />
and when we please because we only<br />
load 100% accurate information. If one<br />
centre misses the deadline, we cannot<br />
update,” he said.<br />
Further dates of the ongoing course will<br />
be announced on the intranet.
M A N A G E M E N T N E W S<br />
Viva Imbeleko<br />
By Estelle Coetzee<br />
Eastern Cape Female <strong>Correctional</strong> Centre was abuzz on 26<br />
August this year as preparations for the launch of the Imbeleko<br />
project culminated into a successful event.<br />
Almost at the onset of their term in<br />
May this year, Minister Nosiviwe<br />
Mapisa-Nqakula and Deputy<br />
Minister Hlengiwe Mkhize made<br />
their intentions clear about the<br />
plight of babies in correctional<br />
centres.<br />
Although the law determines<br />
that incarcerated mothers with<br />
babies younger than two<br />
years may keep their<br />
infants with them<br />
behind bars it does<br />
not prevent social<br />
workers to seek<br />
and find alternative<br />
care for them<br />
before they reach<br />
the age of two,<br />
should the circumstances<br />
of<br />
the baby allow<br />
for it.<br />
Hence the birth of<br />
project Imbeleko,<br />
which evokes the African<br />
tradition of embracing<br />
a new born<br />
and in this context<br />
it invites the community<br />
to embrace<br />
babies behind bars.<br />
With the Imbeleko initiative, the department<br />
is sending out a call to communities to provide<br />
the traditional warm skin, to hold these<br />
babies close to their hearts and provide love<br />
and care so that they can return to society and<br />
grow up in a normal family situation.<br />
Simple yet effective. The playground attests<br />
to the fact that initiative and motivation<br />
drive achievement.<br />
Imbeleko is a two-pronged strategy. Firstly,<br />
it is about looking at alternative placement of<br />
babies out of correctional centres. Secondly,<br />
it focuses internally by creating conducive<br />
environments for babies.<br />
At practical level in a correctional centre<br />
Imbeleko translates into establishing a warm<br />
and baby-friendly environment in the sections<br />
where the mothers are kept with their<br />
babies. It is here where the usual cold cell<br />
JULY/AUGUST 2009<br />
Deputy Minister Hlengiwe Mkhize connects<br />
with one of the baby’s in the Eastern Cape’s<br />
Female <strong>Correctional</strong> Centre during the<br />
launch of the Imbeleko project.<br />
floor makes room for a carpet as babies spend<br />
lots of time on the floor. It is also here where<br />
colour should abound and space be created<br />
for a crèche complete with toys and a playground.<br />
The normal development of these<br />
toddlers is of paramount importance as well<br />
as exposure to the external environment.<br />
Eastern Cape Female <strong>Correctional</strong> Centre<br />
lived up to all these expectations when<br />
Deputy Minister Hlengiwe Mkhize launched<br />
project Imbeleko at this East London facility<br />
on 26 August. With the help of NGOs, business<br />
and individuals as far afield as Port Elizabeth,<br />
the mother-and-baby communal cell,<br />
the crèche and the playground were trans-<br />
Service providers who answered the call for<br />
assistance establishing a warm and friendly<br />
environment in the crèche interact with<br />
some of the babies.<br />
formed into pastel-coloured cots and beds,<br />
colourful bed linen, neat curtains covering<br />
the window bars, lots of toys and a carpet in<br />
the crèche, and a simple yet functional playground<br />
in the courtyard.<br />
Both the Deputy Minister and the Regional<br />
Commissioner for Eastern Cape, Nontsikelelo<br />
Jolingana reiterated the department’s resolve<br />
that “prison is not a place for children”.<br />
“Developmental psychologists have taught<br />
us that the children’s physical, emotional, social<br />
and intellectual needs must all be met if<br />
they are to enjoy life, develop their full potential<br />
and grow into participating, contributing<br />
adults. There is no doubt the environment is<br />
of overriding importance to the development<br />
of the child,” said Deputy Minister Mkhize.<br />
Further explaining Imbeleko project, the<br />
deputy minister said it “is a two-pronged<br />
strategy which seeks to do what is in the best<br />
interest of the child. Firstly, we seek to create<br />
a child friendly environment within our<br />
facilities, while the children are with their<br />
incarcerated mothers. Secondly, we seek to<br />
find alternative, secure protection centres,<br />
either with the extended family or government<br />
institutions or private homes for these<br />
children.”<br />
In 2008 the <strong>Correctional</strong> <strong>Services</strong> Act was<br />
amended and one of the key features was to<br />
Continued on page 4
Continued from page 3<br />
reduce the age at which babies stayed with<br />
their incarcerated mothers from five to two<br />
years. This amendment followed intensive<br />
desk research by the Directorate Social Work<br />
<strong>Services</strong> in which they compared international<br />
models. Practical research was conducted<br />
by Nicro (2006) within DCS facilities attesting<br />
to the idea that keeping babies behind<br />
bars beyond two years of age has an adverse<br />
M A N A G E M E N T N E W S<br />
Medical experts research crime<br />
patterns By Molatelo Mokumo<br />
At a workshop attended by mental health experts and hosted<br />
by Deputy Minister, Ms Hlengiwe Mkhize to discuss the<br />
link between a person’s mental health status and the crime<br />
committed, the department was asked to develop a model for<br />
managing recidivism (repeat offending) and establish a strategy<br />
for managing the mentally ill in its centres.<br />
The workshop, held on 25 August at the<br />
national office was attended by revered<br />
giants in the fields of criminology, psychiatry<br />
and psychology. They included Prof<br />
Dan Mkize (Head of Clinical Medicine,<br />
University of KwaZulu-Natal), Prof Annie<br />
Hesselink (Specialist Counselor in Criminology,<br />
UNISA) and Prof Tholene Sodi (Clinical<br />
Psychologist, University of Venda).<br />
Within the context of recidivism and overcrowding<br />
in correctional centres, experts are<br />
seeking to discover the root causes of the<br />
situation.<br />
Prof Mkize said medical health experts in<br />
South Africa have never attempted to investigate<br />
whether there is a link between a person’s<br />
mental health status and the crime they<br />
committed. In view of this it was agreed that<br />
the department should decide on the approach<br />
to follow, particularly with regard to managing<br />
the mental health of the imprisoned.<br />
The experts learned about some of the challenges<br />
the department face in this regard:<br />
• undiagnosed cases of mental illness<br />
among incarcerated offenders<br />
• insufficient resources for rehabilitation<br />
impact on their development.<br />
In August 2009 there were a total of 168 babies<br />
within correctional centres. The regional<br />
breakdown was as follows:<br />
•<br />
•<br />
•<br />
•<br />
•<br />
•<br />
•<br />
•<br />
Gauteng – 87<br />
LMN – 20<br />
KwaZulu-Natal – 23<br />
Free State/Northern Cape – 12<br />
Western Cape – 19<br />
Eastern Cape – 9<br />
Regional Commissioner Jolingana explained<br />
her region’s initiatives that tie in<br />
programmes aimed at such inmates<br />
little collaboration for obtaining historical<br />
data about such offenders<br />
the concept of mental illness is not<br />
widely understood.<br />
Deputy Minister Mkhize said there were<br />
two major challenges in the department,<br />
namely overcrowding and recidivism. “Our<br />
facilities are almost 200% full. It is disturbing<br />
to see offenders being rearrested hardly<br />
six months after their release. It is further<br />
discouraging because they move from petty<br />
crimes to aggressive crimes.”<br />
Departmental statistics reveal that the age<br />
at which people commit serious and violent<br />
crimes are getting younger and younger.<br />
The Deputy Minister said patterns such as<br />
this have prompted her to arrange the workshop.<br />
“We want to, through the wisdom of<br />
experts, ascertain whether the mental health<br />
status of offenders have contributed towards<br />
them committing the type of crimes they are<br />
serving time for. We hope that through your<br />
knowledge in the field of health and criminology<br />
and related practices, we can get answers<br />
SA Corrections Today<br />
closely with the Imbeleko initiative . One<br />
such is to entice community members to<br />
adopt a baby for a weekend so that the babies<br />
can gradually become familiar with the<br />
outside world.<br />
The Branch Development and Care, in<br />
partnership with the Deputy Minister’s office<br />
embraces the Imbeleko initiative, which is<br />
to be spearheaded by the Directorate Social<br />
Work <strong>Services</strong> in all the regions in order to<br />
improve the lives of babies of incarcerated<br />
mothers.<br />
Experts who are on course to establish<br />
the link between a person’s mental health<br />
status and the crimes they commit<br />
that will help us deal better with offenders in<br />
our care,” she said.<br />
Elaborating further she explained, “We<br />
want to determine whether the law adequately<br />
guides us in the trial processes and incarceration<br />
of people with mental health challenges.<br />
We are in the process of reviewing the criminal<br />
justice system. Experts need to contribute<br />
to this significant change so that proper<br />
amendments could be made,” she said.<br />
Prof Dan Mkize set the pace with his presentation,<br />
saying that men and women with<br />
mental illnesses are more likely to be convicted<br />
of violent crimes. He added that drug<br />
abuse has contributed to the increase of<br />
crime.<br />
Prof Anni Hesselink also attempted to solve<br />
the puzzle with her presentation on determining<br />
the contributions of experts in the design,<br />
implementation and monitoring of effective<br />
rehabilitation programmes in correctional<br />
centres.<br />
Prof Tholene Sodi shared lessons learned<br />
from strategies to reduce recidivism by noting<br />
that cases that attract media attention often<br />
also attract the attention of psychologists,<br />
Prof Dan Mkize presenting the first<br />
objective of the workshop.<br />
psychiatrists and criminologists while low<br />
key cases, though equally serious and horrific<br />
in nature, escape this kind of attention.<br />
Many topics for research were raised by<br />
participants from the department. Some of<br />
them were: managing offenders who committed<br />
substance-induced crimes, screening<br />
offenders for psychological disorders and<br />
referrals to psychiatric hospitals.
Needless to say, the department has been<br />
searching for solutions to some of the<br />
most pressing issues and it seems that<br />
the time for relief has come in the form of<br />
technology.<br />
The Chief Directorate Remand Detention<br />
Systems and Security headed by Deputy<br />
Commissioner Willem Damons is on the<br />
verge of implementing a broadcast solution<br />
that will see remand detainees<br />
being put on trial from within correctional<br />
centres via a live satellite broadcast<br />
service.<br />
The system involves cameras and<br />
monitors in two locations: in a court<br />
room from where a magistrate or judge<br />
will preside and a substitute court room<br />
inside a correctional centre where the<br />
offender will be seated. The trial will be<br />
transmitted live between the two locations<br />
via satellite recording.<br />
Witnesses, family members of the<br />
accused, the public and an interpreter,<br />
where needed, will still be attending a<br />
trial at the court room from where they<br />
will follow proceedings.<br />
The Video Arraignment Solution, as it has<br />
been dubbed, was tested live on 28 August<br />
between Pretoria <strong>Correctional</strong> Centre and the<br />
Pretoria Magistrate Court.<br />
For the testing officials posed as remand<br />
M A N A G E M E N T N E W S<br />
Video solution for detainees<br />
awaiting trial By Molatelo Mokumo<br />
The effective management of detainees in correctional centres<br />
who are awaiting trial has been a headache for the department<br />
for a long while as it consumes a lot of resources in terms of<br />
staff, overcrowding and finances.<br />
detainees and the magistrates tried them<br />
for various offences live from the magistrate<br />
court. The project was initially piloted<br />
in 2005 and 2006 at St Albans <strong>Correctional</strong><br />
Centre in the Eastern Cape.<br />
Given the recession and the belt tightening<br />
measures that have hit the country and the<br />
department, the new system is, according to<br />
Remand detainee Patrick Sebanyoni’s (not real name) trial<br />
continues via live transmission.<br />
Mr Collin Govender (Director Security and<br />
Infrastructure), exactly what the doctor have<br />
ordered. He said once the system is fully operational,<br />
it will save the department millions<br />
of rands, time and bring relief from administrative<br />
red tape.<br />
JULY/AUGUST 2009<br />
Officials view the live transmission of court<br />
proceedings as offender Patrick Mawela<br />
(not real name) appears for culpable<br />
homicide.<br />
“It will mean that we do not have to transport<br />
remand detainees to and from the courts.<br />
It will reduce labour and transport costs. We<br />
will no longer bear the risk of escapes during<br />
transportation to and from the courts. The<br />
risk of smuggling of illegal substances will<br />
be minimal because once detainees reach our<br />
facilities, they will only be moved once their<br />
fate has been decided,” explained Mr Govender.<br />
“This is a great achievement and it will reduce<br />
the risk to staff and the public as we<br />
strive to create a safer environment for all<br />
South Africans. The system will enable us<br />
to comply with the security regulations that<br />
require us to minimise the risk to the public<br />
when moving detainees between locations,”<br />
added Mr Govender who is also the project<br />
leader of the broadcast solution.<br />
Mr Damons was among those who witnessed<br />
the testing on 28 August and he was<br />
Trial proceedings are followed in real time<br />
on the television screen.<br />
ecstatic that the project was kicking off. He<br />
said the Department of Justice and Constitutional<br />
Development will become the<br />
owner of the system and that department<br />
will be responsible for its costs.<br />
“We are ready to implement this solution.<br />
Pretoria will be the first to go live<br />
and 21 other centres will follow in this<br />
financial year. Forty seven magistrates’<br />
courts countrywide will be linked up to<br />
the system during the first phase that involves<br />
22 centres,” he said.<br />
The plan is to roll out the system to<br />
another nine centres in the 2010/11 financial<br />
year.<br />
At Pretoria Central, four rooms have<br />
been set aside to serve as court rooms.<br />
The success of the Video Arraignment<br />
Solution will go a long way towards<br />
easing the burden that came with the belttightening<br />
measures to contain expenditure<br />
in the department. Of late budgets had to be<br />
shifted to make ends meet and the predicament<br />
is said to remain until the end of the<br />
current financial year.<br />
5
M A N A G E M E N T N E W S<br />
Agents Joel Ntabane and Omphi Kepadisa showing DC Phiko Mbambo from the office of the<br />
Commissioner and Western Cape RC James Smalberger how to operate the contact centre<br />
equipment.<br />
Corrections Contact Centre<br />
opens lines to officials<br />
By Molatelo Mokumo<br />
Acting National Commissioner Ms Jenny Schreiner marked yet<br />
another milestone that enhances information access when she<br />
launched the first phase of the Corrections Contact Centre (CCC)<br />
for members’ use on 29 July.<br />
The contact centre serves as a single point<br />
of entry into the department for the purpose<br />
of enhancing front office service<br />
delivery and quality of service.<br />
The launch started with a presentation of<br />
the centre’s planned and current programmes,<br />
followed by a tour of the facilities where 22<br />
call agents were on duty to guide the visitors.<br />
The call centre agents flaunted their musical<br />
skills by singing a tune, ‘avulekile amasango’,<br />
meaning the heavens have opened<br />
up for the department to prosper through the<br />
contact centre.<br />
The department’s spokesperson, DC Communications<br />
Manelisi Wolela expressed a<br />
sense of relief that the contact centre will<br />
ease the load of enquiries he has to deal with<br />
on a daily basis.<br />
”My private line has been listed as an enquiry<br />
number of the department. I have to entertain<br />
all sorts of enquiries, including people<br />
looking for employment sometimes in the<br />
wee hours of the morning. The contact centre<br />
will certainly ease the load on my shoulders<br />
and I’m glad this day has come,” he said before<br />
leading the Acting National Commissioner<br />
to officially launch the centre.<br />
“Our biggest challenge is to transform<br />
<strong>Correctional</strong> <strong>Services</strong>. Today we are implementing<br />
another milestone envisaged in the<br />
White Paper. We have delivered phase one<br />
by opening the centre to the internal publics.<br />
<strong>Correctional</strong> officials are<br />
reminded to make use of the<br />
contact centre for any workplace<br />
related enquiry<br />
We must still work hard to make it a service<br />
delivery tool for all people of South Africa,”<br />
Ms Schreiner said.<br />
She gave an example in which the contact<br />
centre can practically enhance service delivery.<br />
The department is concerned about<br />
the low visitation rates its offenders experience.<br />
Currently only about 27% of offenders<br />
SA Corrections Today<br />
are being visited by friends and family. This<br />
does not bode well for the eventual reintegration<br />
back into society when offenders are<br />
released as family ties are not strengthened<br />
when families do not visit their loved ones<br />
behind bars.<br />
In future offender visitors will call the contact<br />
centre to schedule their visit ahead of<br />
time. However, this is only part of phase 2<br />
of the project.<br />
Ms Schreiner said the contact centre can<br />
only be successful if management explores<br />
all its avenues and put it to good use.<br />
The custodian of the contact centre, DC<br />
GITO, Jack Shilubane, talked about another<br />
feature of the centre, that being its tracking<br />
device. ”We will be able to monitor the response<br />
time to calls and enquiries and thereby<br />
know how efficient we are in providing<br />
certain kinds of information.”<br />
Tshego Moyo, who is seven months into<br />
her job as a call centre agent described the<br />
experience of working with offender enquir-<br />
DC GITO, Jack Shilubane and FS & NC<br />
Regional Commissioner Zack Modise<br />
observe how agent Ingrid Da Fonseca<br />
assists callers.<br />
ies as eye opening particularly because she<br />
knew nothing about <strong>Correctional</strong> <strong>Services</strong><br />
when she took up the job. Some of the common<br />
enquiries they were dealing with were<br />
about the OSD and 7-day establishment.<br />
<strong>Correctional</strong> officials are reminded to make<br />
use of the contact centre for any workplace<br />
related enquiry, be it about how many leave<br />
credits you have to requests for documentation.<br />
Two matters are guaranteed; one being that<br />
someone will always answer your call and<br />
secondly, someone will always get back to<br />
you with an answer, even if it takes a while.<br />
Dial your call centre now for any<br />
staff-related query at<br />
0860 27 2273
M A N A G E M E N T N E W S<br />
New smoking legislation<br />
in force Sapa<br />
Two pieces of legislation that dramatically increase smoking<br />
fines and crack down on tobacco companies have been signed<br />
into law, the National Council Against Smoking said in August.<br />
The acts make it illegal for adults to<br />
smoke in a car where there is a child<br />
under 12, and pave the way for picture<br />
warnings such as diseased lungs on<br />
cigarette packs.<br />
“The new laws will have dramatic, important<br />
and far-ranging effects on public<br />
health and the tobacco industry’s marketing<br />
activities,” said council director Dr<br />
Yussuf Saloojee. Saloojee said fines for<br />
smoking or allowing smoking in a nonsmoking<br />
area increased with immediate<br />
effect.<br />
The fine for the owner of a restaurant,<br />
pub, bar or workplace that breached the<br />
smoking laws was now a maximum of<br />
R50 000, and for the individual smoker<br />
R500.<br />
Smoking was now illegal in “partially<br />
enclosed” public places such as covered<br />
patios, verandas, balconies, walkways<br />
and parking areas.<br />
Nor was it allowed on premises,<br />
including private homes used for<br />
commercial childcare activities, or for<br />
schooling or tutoring.<br />
The tobacco industry was no longer<br />
permitted to hold “parties” or use “viral”<br />
marketing to target young people.<br />
The sale of tobacco products to and by<br />
people under 18 years was prohibited,<br />
as was the sale of confectionery or toys<br />
resembling tobacco products.<br />
The use of picture-based health warnings<br />
on tobacco packaging would come<br />
into effect only later this year, because<br />
the health ministry was still finalising<br />
regulations.<br />
Young officials elected onto Rooigrond’s Youth Structure did their first community service<br />
by cleaning the windows of a school for the disabled.<br />
Youth reminded of history<br />
By Lewies Davids<br />
A Youth Structure for Rooigrond Management Area was<br />
launched with a bang on 29 August this year. The structure will<br />
serve officials younger than 35 years.<br />
Head of Rooigrond <strong>Correctional</strong><br />
Centre Mr Jimmy Nomandla reminded<br />
the young officials of the<br />
history of South Africa by saying, “the<br />
youth of South Africa had assembled in<br />
small units to ensure that their issues<br />
were addressed”. Nomandla mentioned<br />
Tsietsi Mashinini who is not known to<br />
many young officials today. At 8am on<br />
June 16, 1976 Tsietsi Mashinini interrupted<br />
the school assembly to lead the<br />
first group of students out of the gates<br />
Also in the pipeline were regulations<br />
to keep smoking away from entrances<br />
to buildings, and restrict it in sports stadiums,<br />
railway platforms, bus stops and<br />
outdoor dining areas.<br />
Saloojee said tobacco killed 44 000<br />
South Africans every year, three times<br />
more than vehicle accidents. “Our efforts<br />
to reduce the death toll will be helped by<br />
the new legislation,” he said.<br />
Prevalence of adult smoking in South<br />
Africa had fallen by a third in the past<br />
decade, from 32 percent in 1995 to 22<br />
percent in 2006.<br />
and on the march that started the Soweto<br />
uprising. They were protesting the use<br />
of Afrikaans in schools. A reward was<br />
posted for his capture and one afternoon<br />
security police checked every student<br />
leaving the grounds. Mashinini, who was<br />
a prefect at Morris Isaacson, escaped<br />
detection by dressing up as a girl. After<br />
the march he never slept at home again<br />
and fled the country two months later.<br />
“Young officials should not be known<br />
for their absenteeism, corruption or dismissals,<br />
but rather comply with the policies<br />
and regulations of the department,”<br />
Nomandla said.<br />
The young officials who attended the<br />
launch participated in serious discussions<br />
around their role in 2010, relationships<br />
in the work environment, HIV and<br />
AIDS, drug and substance abuse and<br />
career pathing.<br />
Keynote speaker Rev. Obakeng Ditshwene<br />
said that officials should at an early<br />
stage of their careers ensure that they<br />
prioritise skills development and education.<br />
In a demonstration of their determination<br />
to make a difference, the elected<br />
youth structure and about 80 other<br />
young officials went to Retlhametswe<br />
school for disabled children to pick up<br />
garbage, clean the school yard and wash<br />
windows.<br />
JULY/AUGUST 2009 7
S TA F F N E W S<br />
Good Governance ambassador tells<br />
how he achieved success<br />
By Puleng Mokhoane<br />
Officials in the Free State and Northern Cape proved during<br />
the Corrections Excellence Awards held earlier this year that<br />
individual excellence was in abundance in the region.<br />
Representing the region’s winning team<br />
were Mr Vaughan Owen Feder (Good<br />
Governance award), Mr Johannes Prinsloo<br />
(Public Safety award) and Ms Seipati<br />
Dichabe (Masibambisane award).<br />
Vaughan explains how he bagged the<br />
Good Governance Award. He said when<br />
his name was called that evening at Emperors<br />
Palace, his heart was beating fast<br />
with excitement.<br />
“Before the programme director announced<br />
the first prize winner, I took<br />
my wife’s hand and prayed. I then heard<br />
my name being called. The moment was<br />
so great I cannot explain it in words.<br />
Ascending the stage was like climbing<br />
the steps to the Kingdom of God. I only<br />
later realized that I had achieved one of<br />
the greatest milestones in my career.“<br />
Vaughan said in the 23 years that he<br />
has been with the department he always<br />
tried his level best to comply with the department’s<br />
Code of Conduct, policies and<br />
procedures and to live the White Paper on<br />
Corrections.<br />
“I strive to be an ideal correctional official<br />
at work. All my efforts have finally delivered<br />
results. I have a clear and decisive vision and<br />
goal in life which manifests to a high standard<br />
of service delivery. I went through all the<br />
categories and profiled myself as a candidate<br />
for Good Governance. I saw myself as<br />
a champion of efficiency and effectiveness,<br />
preventing corruption to ensure transformation<br />
and promoting integrity in my work<br />
place,“ he explained. .<br />
Vaughan works as the Area Coordinator:<br />
Corporate <strong>Services</strong> at Grootvlei. He has contributed<br />
towards placing Grootvlei Manage-<br />
Routine checks: Mr Vaughan Owen Feder consulting with<br />
his secretary Ms Sinah Xakane about business activities<br />
ment Area in high esteem. Over time his efforts<br />
have led to:<br />
• eliminating audit queries by ensuring<br />
compliance<br />
• finalising disciplinary actions within the<br />
prescribed time frames<br />
• reporting malpractices, fraud and corruption<br />
to higher levels of authority<br />
• developing anti-fraud and anti-corruption<br />
plans as proactive measures of<br />
compliance<br />
• establishing an integrated debt and loss<br />
control committees to recover debts due<br />
to the State<br />
SA Corrections Today<br />
Mr Vaughan Owen Feder explaining the<br />
conditions of the Occupation Specific<br />
Dispensation to his colleagues Mr Shaiks<br />
Seatile and Mr Rantlane Molemela<br />
•<br />
•<br />
implementing measures to reduce misuse<br />
of state funds<br />
utilising various compliance and improvement<br />
tools, and monitoring and<br />
evaluation systems to ensure efficient,<br />
economical, transparent and accountable<br />
administration in the work place.<br />
He advises that officials need to practice<br />
good governance at their respective workplaces<br />
in order to become effective and professional<br />
in executing their work. Vaughan<br />
believes that all correctional officials have<br />
the potential to showcase examples of excellence.<br />
When asked whether his winning has inspired<br />
him to do more at work he answered,<br />
“Human beings need to be patted on their<br />
shoulders as a sign of acknowledgement of<br />
the good work they do in their field. This<br />
award has inspired me to change the way I<br />
do things and start to work smarter. It has<br />
made me even more sensitive towards compliance,<br />
more effective, open and transparent<br />
in my daily operations. But it has<br />
also brought more pressure because all<br />
eyes are on me.”<br />
“If circumstances allow me to enter in<br />
another category in future, I will participate<br />
again. I don’t see it as a competition<br />
but as a way of pushing myself to the<br />
limit. I strive to be perfect in everything<br />
I do and I take responsibility for all my<br />
actions.”<br />
His then supervisor, Mr Langa Bikane<br />
who was the Area Commissioner of<br />
Grootvlei and is currently the Regional<br />
Head: Corporate <strong>Services</strong>, said he would<br />
have been disappointed if Vaughan came<br />
back empty handed. He described Feder<br />
as a workaholic. “Feder remains focused in<br />
everything he does. He is a hard-worker and<br />
always checks that whatever he does is within<br />
the right policy framework of the department,”<br />
explained Mr Bikane.<br />
Encouraging all his colleagues in the department,<br />
Vaughan said, “Not all people can<br />
be chiefs. There has to be subjects of the chief<br />
and all will be rewarded accordingly. All<br />
members have God-given talents and abilities<br />
to shine. Members need to stay focused<br />
in life, make the right choices and decisions,<br />
and share good practices and life experiences<br />
with their fellow colleagues.”
IMBOKODO: the strength<br />
of a woman<br />
August 9, 2009 marked 53 years since South African women led<br />
a massive protest march to the Union Building against the pass<br />
laws, which determined that people of colour had no freedom of<br />
movement and had to carry passes with them all the time.<br />
In 1952 the Native Laws Amendment Act denied blacks access to<br />
urban areas. In the same year the Natives Abolition of Passes and<br />
Coordination of Documents Act was passed. According to this act,<br />
all documents that black men were required to carry were replaced<br />
with one document – the reference/pass book. It further stipulated that<br />
African women had to also carry the reference book.<br />
Fun in the sun: members and probationers enjoying a boat trip<br />
during Women’s Month.<br />
Mossel Bay mixes fun and<br />
work on Women’s Day By Johan Pienaar<br />
Euphemia Visser, social worker at Mossel Bay <strong>Correctional</strong><br />
Centre did not let the department’s budget cuts and call for<br />
belt tightening prevent her from organising a special day<br />
for her female colleagues and probationers during Women’s<br />
Month as none of the activities she had organised had any financial<br />
consequences for DCS.<br />
The members started their day with a visit to the local provincial<br />
hospital where astonished patients were cheered up, hugged<br />
and each handed some reading material. Some members even<br />
made their cellular phones available to patients for them to call<br />
their families.<br />
Then it was off to the harbour where they boarded the Romanza<br />
for a trip around Seals Island. Once the yacht left the<br />
calm waters of the harbour, some of the women moved to safer<br />
positions while one or two tried to personify Kate Winslett in the<br />
famous Titanic movie. While the boat trip was fun at the onset<br />
for some, for others it meant the overcoming of fear.<br />
To round off the special day, the women gathered in the public<br />
park for a traditional picnic and here they listened to a motivational<br />
speaker.<br />
The probationers, who are being monitored by Community<br />
Corrections, spent their day after their boat trip on Santos<br />
beach where they participated in a sand castle competition, listened<br />
to an expert on women issues and enjoyed a picnic on<br />
the beach.<br />
W O M E N ’ S D AY<br />
<strong>Correctional</strong> officials Shanaaz de Klerk, Juanita Sass, Franzell<br />
Levendal and Jolene Crotz enjoying themselves at the occasion.<br />
Honouring women<br />
Area Commissioner, Jeremy Matheyse spoiled the female<br />
correctional officials of Drakenstein Management Area<br />
with a free breakfast to celebrate Women’s Month.<br />
The officials were inspired by the keynote speaker, Ms Eugenia<br />
Jacobs, the local magistrate with her vibrant and dynamic<br />
presentation on the rights of women, especially within the<br />
domestic context. Besides being entertained by the chocolate<br />
dancers from Franschhoek and a pianist from Paarl, the women<br />
jumped for joy when Mr Matheyse responded to a request<br />
and rendered an Elvis Presley song.<br />
Acting Area Commissioner of Polokwane, Mr Arnold Sikhwivhilu<br />
with Absa staff<br />
Women benefit<br />
By Susan Minnaar<br />
Polokwane <strong>Correctional</strong> Centre was fortunate enough to receive<br />
baby clothes, toys, nappies, soap and baby powder from Absa<br />
Bank in view of Women’s Month. They made the donation on<br />
14 August.<br />
The Absa staff said they wanted to reach out to babies who were<br />
with their mothers in correctional facilities.<br />
JULY/AUGUST 2009 2009<br />
9
M A N D E L A D AY<br />
Extract from President Zuma’s address<br />
“Mandela Day will be celebrated on 18 July each year. It will give people in South Africa and all over the<br />
world the opportunity to do something good to help others. Madiba was politically active for 67 years, and<br />
on Mandela Day people all over the world, in the workplace, at home and in schools, will be called upon to<br />
spend at least 67 minutes of their time doing something useful within their communities, especially among<br />
the less fortunate.”<br />
In line: staff and children stand quietly for a moment of grace. At<br />
the back third from right is Mr Kosie Sinclair, Area Commissioner of<br />
Allandale Management Area.<br />
Hawequa’s 67 minutes<br />
Hawequa <strong>Correctional</strong> Centre in Wellington has adopted the Blou<br />
Vlei Primary School in Wellington as part of its Madiba Day<br />
celebrations. <strong>Correctional</strong> officials have generated funds for the<br />
initiative out of their own pockets to feed the children of Blou Vlei.<br />
67 Minutes spent with<br />
disabled persons<br />
By Susan Minnaar<br />
Staff in the Area Commissioner’s office and Polokwane <strong>Correctional</strong><br />
Centre visited Polokwane Centenary House, a home for<br />
the disabled, where they handed over non-perishable food donations.<br />
Officials entertained the residents of Centenary House with dancing,<br />
and playing table tennis, fingerboard and soccer against them.<br />
0<br />
Children, youth, community members and officials gather around<br />
the Mandela Statue after they had completed the fun walk in<br />
Mandela Day.<br />
67 Minutes of goodwill at Drakenstein<br />
By Manfred Jacobs<br />
SA Corrections Today<br />
Officials and offenders at Drakenstein Management Area heeded<br />
the call of President Zuma to do something good for the many<br />
poor and vulnerable people in our communities.<br />
Since the idea behind Mandela Day was to spend at least 67 minutes<br />
of one’s time doing good in the community, a group of 37 offenders<br />
(<strong>17</strong> youth and 20 adults) were selected to clean the church grounds of<br />
the United Reformed Church in Paarl-East.<br />
Both the offenders and accompanying officials cleaned the almost<br />
three and a half hectares of church grounds. To crown the effort, a<br />
SABC news crew came to witness their work. Three offenders were<br />
given the opportunity to tell the rest of South Africa what Mandela<br />
Day meant to them and also what they endeavor to do on this day in<br />
future when they were no longer incarcerated.<br />
The officials back at Drakenstein also joined hands and responded<br />
positively to Area Commissioner, Jeremy Matheyse’s call to donate<br />
R40 each to purchase blankets and or to donate non-perishable food.<br />
Regional Commissioner James Smalberger handed over both the<br />
blankets and foodstuff to two needy organisations from the communities<br />
of Franschhoek and Paarl respectively.<br />
Thereafter officials, school children and residents at Drakenstein<br />
walked the inaugural Liberty Fun walk, which covers the 3.5km road<br />
between Mandela House and the Mandela statue. A selected group of<br />
25 people then completed a relay walk from Madiba House to the office<br />
of the Area Commissioner which ended in handing over a torch.<br />
The youngest torch carrier was four years old and he carried the torch<br />
about 300 meters.<br />
Area Commissioner Jeremy Matheyse received the torch at the exact<br />
spot where Mr. Mandela got out of the vehicle for his first walk as<br />
a free person in 1990. Matheyse handed the torch over to the Regional<br />
Commissioner as the 27th recipient.<br />
The event was rounded off by the marimba and brass band from<br />
Pollsmoor and the local youth offender band, Uprising Stars. At the<br />
end everybody sang a birthday song for Tata Madiba.
Offenders relish the rare opportunity of celebrating Mandela Day<br />
with their families<br />
Bringing families and<br />
offenders together<br />
By Advice Ramonnye<br />
The expression, all work and no play makes Jack a dull boy<br />
was significant for Klerksdorp Management Area when<br />
they thought they should do more to bring families and<br />
offenders together as part of the 67-minute campaign for Mandela<br />
Day. Open days in which families of offenders visit them<br />
for a whole day were held at Potchefstroom <strong>Correctional</strong> Centre<br />
on 16 and <strong>17</strong> July, on 23 and 24 July at Klerksdorp Centre<br />
of Excellence, on 28 July at Wolmaranstad Satellite Unit and<br />
Christiana Satellite Unit on 29 July.<br />
Family reunion. The theme “Bringing families and offenders<br />
together”, made it possible for the pictured offender to celebrate<br />
Mandela Day with his family.<br />
In his briefings to both offenders and their families, Area Commissioner,<br />
Dr Rampou Mohoje said it was the first time for the<br />
whole management area to have organised such a coordinated<br />
attempt at strengthening the bonds between families and offenders.<br />
“By doing this, we include families in the rehabilitation process<br />
as offenders come from families. The department wants to ensure<br />
that when offenders are released, they go to families that<br />
will welcome them back,” said Dr Mohoje. He lamented the fact<br />
that every time a police vehicle brings an offender to the centre<br />
to begin his sentence, one should know that the family or the<br />
community at large has failed that person.<br />
The events at each centre was characterised by a relaxed<br />
atmosphere, a braai and entertainment that spiced up the proceedings.<br />
These included songs rendered by offender choirs<br />
and the Jouberton Marimba group.<br />
M A N D E L A D AY 2 0 0 9<br />
JULY/AUGUST 2009<br />
Mr Vusumzi Sontlaba (Acting Head: Dwarsrivier <strong>Correctional</strong> Centre)<br />
with community members of Wolsely busy cleaning<br />
Breede River on Madiba<br />
Day By Simphiwe Xaphe<br />
Breede River Management Area followed the call by President<br />
Jacob Zuma to spend at least 67 minutes rendering humanitarian<br />
service on 18 July in honour of former President Nelson<br />
Rolihlahla Mandela’s birthday. The Management Area consists of<br />
Robertson, Warmbokkeveld and Breede River <strong>Correctional</strong> Centres.<br />
Warmbokkeveld <strong>Correctional</strong> Centre led by the Head <strong>Correctional</strong><br />
Centre, Mr Vuyisile Koli, spent 67 minutes cleaning Sisonke Old Age<br />
home in Nduli Township, Ceres. The cleaning focused on removing<br />
rubbish and weeds on the premises. About 10 officials were involved<br />
in this project.<br />
Dwarsrivier <strong>Correctional</strong> Centre went to Wolseley and assisted community<br />
members in cleaning the streets of the town.<br />
Robertson <strong>Correctional</strong> Centre invited motivational speakers from<br />
the local municipality and a local economic development centre to<br />
address offenders on that day.<br />
Breede River’s Area Commissioner, Cecil Petersen, congratulated<br />
all those who volunteered and made the day a memorable one.<br />
Voorberg’s 67<br />
minutes<br />
By Mariska Pietersen<br />
Thirty eight learners of<br />
Brandenberg Primary School<br />
in the Voorberg Management<br />
Area have received brand new<br />
school shoes and socks in view of<br />
Madiba Day. The 38 learners were<br />
identified by the head master as being<br />
most affected by poverty.<br />
Brandenberg is a farm school<br />
and some of the learners walk two<br />
kilometres to school without shoes<br />
on in the winter, and Voorberg is a<br />
cold place to be in during winter.<br />
The staff of Voorberg Management Area gave true meaning to the<br />
Area Commissioner of Voorberg,<br />
Mr. HJ Jansen hands out brand<br />
new school shoes and socks to a<br />
happy beneficiary.<br />
expression, “The power of public good does not require public office,<br />
just a well-placed heart and a determined mind”.
M A N D E L A D AY 2 0 0 9<br />
Leading Madiba<br />
celebrations in<br />
style By<br />
Mapopozana Mashinini<br />
Witbank Management Area started celebrating the<br />
legacy of the world icon and leader of all time, ahead of<br />
all scheduled celebrations on <strong>17</strong> July, days before his<br />
birth date.<br />
A house<br />
that was described by the<br />
Mayor of Steve Tshwete Municipality,<br />
Mr Mathlakeng Mahlangu,<br />
as being engulfed by social ills was<br />
cleaned and restored to its former pride<br />
by parolees a month earlier. On <strong>17</strong> July<br />
the mayor handed it back to its owners,<br />
the Maseko family from Tembisa, Mhluzi.<br />
The parolees followed the leadership of<br />
the head of community corrections, Mr<br />
Timothy Malinga, who collaborated with<br />
Greater Middelburg Housing Association,<br />
the municipality and a clothing store<br />
in refurbishing and restoring the dilapidated<br />
house of the Maseko’s.<br />
Acting Regional Commissioner of Limpopo,<br />
Mpumalanga and North-West<br />
(LMN) region, Ms Lunga Tseana, handed<br />
over another house renovated by offenders<br />
in Kwaggafontein on 18 July. The<br />
house belongs to granny Lizbeth Mahlangu<br />
who was a victim of violent crime.<br />
Among those who heeded the call for<br />
committing 67 minutes of their time to<br />
community work was Mpumalanga<br />
MEC for Human Settlement<br />
and rural development,<br />
Mr Madala Masuku, Ms Zodwa<br />
Mahlangu from United Nations<br />
and Mr Nhlanhla Khoza, HOD<br />
for Safety and Security. These<br />
officials literally joined offenders<br />
in mixing cement and sand to put finishing<br />
touches to the house.<br />
The youth of Mhluzi Township, led by<br />
the local Youth Council chairperson, Mr<br />
Muzi Kunene rounded off the celebrations<br />
by returning a visit by offenders<br />
from Middelburg Centre of Excellence.<br />
Juvenile offenders were invited by SAPS<br />
to motivate and inspire them in an anticrime<br />
campaign held at the multi-purpose<br />
centre. This time around Mr Kunene motivated<br />
and informed the inmates of opportunities<br />
that the government has for<br />
them. He further encouraged them not<br />
to commit crime again and rather seek<br />
ways that will create opportunities for<br />
2<br />
SA Corrections Today<br />
Acting Regional Commissioner Ms Lunga<br />
Tseana handing over the keys to granny Lizbeth<br />
Mahlangu’s renovated house<br />
clean and profitable lifestyles which will<br />
result in a crime free South Africa and responsible<br />
citizenship.<br />
They then planted trees at the correctional<br />
facility to symbolize their partnership<br />
and commitment to working towards<br />
crime and poverty eradication. The offenders’<br />
library also benefited from copies<br />
of “The long walk to freedom” by<br />
Madiba, which was donated by Government<br />
Communication Information Systems.<br />
Six hours and<br />
seven minutes at<br />
Rooigrond By Lewies Davids<br />
Instead of giving 67 minutes of their time<br />
to honour the legacy of Madiba, Rooigrond<br />
offenders (pictured) gave six hours and<br />
seven minutes a day for the entire week before<br />
Nelson Mandela’s birthday from 13 to<br />
<strong>17</strong> July to clean up Nelson Mandela drive<br />
in Mafikeng. Nelson Mandela drive is the<br />
nerve centre of Mafikeng as it runs straight<br />
through town and connects South Africa with<br />
Botswana at the Ramathlabama border post.<br />
Recently Nelson Mandela drive received a<br />
major face lift, with long bright street poles,<br />
special grained stone artifacts, Aloe Vera<br />
plants and cemented clay pots.
Helping Tshwane Home of Hope<br />
By Tshifhiwa Magadani<br />
“Let’s have a blossoming desert, let’s have flowers from<br />
Tshwane Home of Hope,” said Acting National Commissioner Ms<br />
Jenny Schreiner during a gift handover to this shelter for abused<br />
girls in Pretoria.<br />
The gifts were donated by caring correctional<br />
officials throughout August and<br />
handed over on 28 August.<br />
The centre was opened as a shelter for<br />
abused girls seven years ago after an SABC<br />
broadcast showed children as young as seven<br />
sleeping on the streets of Sunnyside.<br />
The department deemed it fit to donate gifts<br />
in the form of non-perishable goods to the institution<br />
that accommodates 25 young girls,<br />
of which the youngest is nine years old.<br />
Ms Schreiner had this motherly advice to<br />
the children, “When opportunities arise grab<br />
them with both hands and never give up in<br />
life,” she said directing her remarks to one<br />
girl who has since matriculated and was<br />
working at a bank.<br />
DCS members with Tshwane Home of Hope<br />
children and staff during the gifts handover<br />
When asked what prompted a partnership<br />
with the shelter, Ms Schreiner said poverty<br />
alleviation was one of the department’s key<br />
concerns and “we want to establish friendly<br />
partnerships with communities. We are helping<br />
these girl children as part of our celebrations<br />
in Women’s Month.<br />
“This place nearly had to close its doors<br />
S E RV I C E D E L I V E R Y<br />
Helping hand.<br />
Acting National<br />
Commissioner Ms<br />
Jenny Schreiner<br />
assists a young girl to<br />
prepare her bed and<br />
wall cabinet.<br />
due to financial constraints but today it feels<br />
good to say that we have 12 sponsors. Our<br />
sincere gratitude goes to the Department of<br />
<strong>Correctional</strong> <strong>Services</strong> for always being willing<br />
to open their hearts to help us,” said Ms<br />
Martha Mohlala, director of Tshwane Home<br />
of Hope..<br />
When asked about challenges in running<br />
the shelter, Martha said when good Samaritans<br />
open their hearts to help, the challenges<br />
are minimal. She did not mince her words<br />
about people who take advantage of abused<br />
children, referring to an Eastern Cape social<br />
worker who was arrested for human trafficking<br />
in young girls.<br />
Officials went to the centre in numbers to<br />
provide services such as gardening, cleaning,<br />
and cooking. Ms Schreiner and Ms Dorothy<br />
Makhuza (Director Gender Desk) were<br />
among them. Mr Hento Davids (DC Equity<br />
and Recreation) and Mr Sandile Mthembu<br />
were manning the garden while Ms Makhuza<br />
helped with cooking. She was spotted peeling<br />
fruit for the kids and said in Setswana, “A<br />
refepeng bana” which loosely translates into,<br />
“let’s feed our children.”<br />
The stories about how some of the girls<br />
ended up at the shelter can send shivers<br />
down one’s spine. The youngest girls at the<br />
centre (9), was taken away from her mother<br />
after being forced to undress for an elder man<br />
while they were drinking “unholy water” in<br />
different “caves” around Sunnyside.<br />
Another girl, Dima (not her real name),<br />
(12) struggled with holding back her tears<br />
when responding to a question about what<br />
she wanted to be when she grew up. A pilot,<br />
she responded, sucking her thumb.<br />
JULY/AUGUST 2009<br />
A group of learners in a court yard inside<br />
a correctional centre listen attentively to<br />
what is explained to them.<br />
Combined<br />
efforts for crime<br />
awareness pay<br />
off By Moses Nkabinde<br />
Witbank Management Area, in<br />
partnership with the Nkangala<br />
district departments<br />
of education, community safety<br />
and security liaison have recently<br />
run a crime awareness campaign<br />
by showing school learners what<br />
life behind bars is like while educating<br />
them about the corrections<br />
system.<br />
The campaign reached more than<br />
600 children from ten schools in<br />
the Nkangala District, plus their<br />
educators and representatives<br />
from the school governing bodies.<br />
The visitors were shown the process<br />
of admission to a correctional<br />
centre, the assessment of an offender<br />
and examples of rehabilitation<br />
programmes. They also toured<br />
the juvenile awaiting trial detainee<br />
centre.<br />
Accompanying the learners were<br />
senior representatives of the three<br />
departments mentioned.<br />
The tour included a drama performance<br />
by inmates, depicting<br />
the hardships of incarceration<br />
which include time wasted, separation<br />
from loved ones and lack of<br />
freedom.<br />
The learners experienced the<br />
inside of a juvenile awaiting trial<br />
correctional centre and a special<br />
care unit where a sentenced juvenile<br />
inmate related his life in a correctional<br />
centre.
R E G I O N A L N E W S<br />
Garden of Eden in Modimolle By Lucky Hlophe<br />
In 2008 the HIV and AIDS Directorate<br />
and the HR Support Directorate<br />
adopted an orphanage, Dira o direloe<br />
in Modimolle, Limpopo. The orphanage<br />
takes care of children whose parents<br />
succumb to HIV and AIDS. At the time<br />
of adoption the orphanage housed 68<br />
children. When officials from the national<br />
office, accompanied by the head of the<br />
correctional centre and project leader,<br />
Erastus Mocke visited the centre in early<br />
September, they found everything spick<br />
Lost son taken home By<br />
Advice Ramonnye<br />
For the past two years there has been a man sleeping on the<br />
sidewalk at the entrance to businesses in the small town of<br />
Bothaville in the Free State.<br />
Three generous business people in the<br />
town took pity on him and they have<br />
been feeding him ever since.<br />
This came to the attention of Bothaville<br />
Community Corrections’ officials and<br />
they undertook to investigate his situation.<br />
Thanduxolo Bhuxa opened up to the caring<br />
officials and gave them the name and address<br />
of his family. The officials phoned Moth-<br />
Tseko Motloung and Thys Moletsane<br />
rescued Thanduxolo (right) from the<br />
wilderness<br />
erwell Police Station in the Eastern Cape,<br />
which was where the man said he came from.<br />
The police assured the members that they<br />
will investigate the matter.<br />
They later revealed that Thanduxolo left<br />
home in 2006 for Cape Town to visit his<br />
younger sister who had just gotten employ-<br />
Impressed: from left<br />
are Molapisi Makau,<br />
Ramanee Hira,<br />
Hlophe Lucky and<br />
Gladys Rantete during<br />
the monitoring and<br />
evaluation visit.<br />
and span. The national officials visited<br />
the project with the view to offer support<br />
and assess the long term sustainability of<br />
it. What they found was a budding vegetable<br />
garden, enough to nourish its 108<br />
children and 11 HIV positive adults. Lots<br />
of green beans, cabbage, spinach, carrots,<br />
pumpkins and squashes were ready<br />
to be harvested. The vegetables are harvested<br />
every Monday and Wednesday<br />
by the seven voluntary care takers from<br />
the orphanage.<br />
ment there. His family has been searching for<br />
him ever since. It still remains a mystery how<br />
Thanduxolo arrived in Bothaville.<br />
His family arrived in Bothaville on 24 July<br />
to fetch him. They could not believe what<br />
they saw but were happy that their son was<br />
alive. His father, Mr Lumkile Bhuxa thanked<br />
the officials and requested to be taken to the<br />
businessmen who have fed his son to personally<br />
thank them. The family arrived safely<br />
back in the Eastern Cape and informed Bothaville<br />
Community Corrections that they have<br />
The estranged Thanduxolo living on the<br />
streets of Bothaville before being rescued<br />
by officials of Bothaville Community Corrections<br />
office.<br />
held a cleansing, welcoming and thanking<br />
ceremony for their lost son.<br />
SA Corrections Today<br />
Pastor Jerome Samuels (acting AC: Development<br />
& Care) responds to questions by<br />
RSG presenter, Johnny Davids.<br />
Live radio broadcast<br />
at Drakenstein<br />
By Manfred Jacobs<br />
Well-known Afrikaans radio station,<br />
RSG (Radio Sonder Grense)<br />
recently dedicated two hours of<br />
their morning show, ‘Oggend op RSG’<br />
to the activities at Drakenstein Management<br />
Area. RSG presenters Martelize<br />
Brink, Pattra Mei and Johnny Davids<br />
conducted interviews with officials, offenders<br />
and external services providers<br />
at Drakenstein and covered all aspects of<br />
programmes and service delivery in the<br />
Management Area. A young offender had<br />
an opportunity to recite a poem whereafter<br />
the adult offender choir, youth band<br />
and gumboot dancers provided the listeners<br />
with inspirational performances.<br />
Employee<br />
structures launched<br />
at Rooigrond<br />
By Sydney Makgoke<br />
Various employee committees were<br />
introduced to Rooigrond staff in July<br />
with the aim to strengthen a positive<br />
organizational culture among members.<br />
The structures include a health and wellness<br />
committee, a learning committee, a<br />
youth structure and a members choir.<br />
Members are encouraged to participate<br />
in the activities of these structures and<br />
draw full benefit from their existence. For<br />
instance, the health and wellness committee<br />
aims to facilitate the physical,<br />
emotional social, mental and spiritual<br />
wellness of members.<br />
Union representatives said they support<br />
the initiatives and will encourage<br />
their members to participate.
R E H A B I L I TAT I O N<br />
Orphanage helped<br />
By Kennedy Botha<br />
Tshwaraganang orphanage in Hammanskraal<br />
has been fortunate to be “adopted” by officials<br />
at Pretoria’s remand detention facility recently.<br />
Like most other places of safety there is not always enough<br />
resources for all the beneficiaries.<br />
The orphanage takes care of about 150 children, some<br />
of whom are not orphans in the strictest sense of the word but<br />
simply destitute and neglected children. About 50 children reside<br />
permanently at the orphanage.<br />
At a ceremony on 21 August this year, Area Commissioner<br />
Ms Grace Molatedi and Koos Gerber, Head of the remand detention<br />
centre made their intentions clear about focusing their<br />
anti-poverty efforts and community service on the orphans at<br />
Twsharaganang.<br />
Money, food, clothing, school uniforms and toiletries were donated<br />
by the members of centre. Some officials also donate<br />
money on a monthly basis to the orphanage.<br />
I<br />
had been away from my family and loved<br />
ones for a long time and I had grown and<br />
changed so much in those years. I was<br />
convicted and sentenced to prison for a serious<br />
crime after I became involved with the<br />
wrong person.<br />
There were many decisions I had to make<br />
before my life changed for the better. I had<br />
to learn to take responsibility for my own actions<br />
and the consequences which followed.<br />
I also had to accept the responsibility of making<br />
new choices that will positively change<br />
my life. I had to choose to bring out the best<br />
JULY/AUGUST 2009<br />
Area Commissioner Grace Molatedi hands over goodies to the<br />
children<br />
Sense of belonging:<br />
parolee Ansune<br />
Putter (back row, 3rd<br />
from right) has been<br />
welcomed back<br />
into the fold of her<br />
family.<br />
The power of forgiveness<br />
A FIRSTHAND ACCOUNT By parolee Ansune Putter<br />
After having spent six and a half years in prison, I did not quite<br />
know what to expect the day of my release on parole.<br />
in myself and allow this to positively affect<br />
people around me.<br />
I was a juvenile when I went to prison. My<br />
future looked bleak with a long sentence. But<br />
I soon realised that I had to do something to<br />
change my own destiny. I completed grade<br />
12 within the first year of my incarceration<br />
and went on to complete a degree in psychology.<br />
On the day I walked out of prison, I was<br />
halfway through completing an honours degree<br />
in psychology. These achievements had<br />
however not come easily. It took hard work<br />
and much dedication.<br />
On 2 September the orphanage was visited again and donations<br />
were once again handed over. Members are looking forward<br />
to visit the orphanage during December to give Christmas<br />
presents to the children.<br />
There is a familiar song about a convict being<br />
released from prison, asking his beloved<br />
to tie a yellow ribbon around an old oak tree,<br />
which will be a sign for him being welcomed<br />
back home. As he drove into town, he saw<br />
not one, but hundred yellow ribbons around<br />
the tree.<br />
Those exceptional people<br />
who are willing to forgive our<br />
wrongdoings and who are<br />
prepared to offer us a second<br />
chance in life are hugely<br />
important.<br />
As we drove into my home town on the day<br />
of my release, there were hundreds of yellow<br />
ribbons around the trees stretching from<br />
the town hall all the way to my home. These<br />
were symbols of being welcomed back to<br />
where I truly belonged. It was a sign of acceptance<br />
and love from my loved ones and<br />
of their joy that I was reunited with them. I<br />
knew for certain then that I was welcomed in<br />
their hearts and in their lives.<br />
What makes rehabilitation work?<br />
We can ponder the issue of effective rehabilitation<br />
within <strong>Correctional</strong> <strong>Services</strong>. Over<br />
and above one’s participation in the rehabilitation<br />
system, the ultimate choice lies within<br />
the individual. This does not diminish the<br />
impact that wonderful people who cross our<br />
path have on us. Those exceptional people<br />
who are willing to forgive our wrongdoings<br />
and who are prepared to offer us a second<br />
chance in life are hugely important. They are<br />
the angels who give us wings to fly.<br />
15
Norman Lyons displaying some of his<br />
paintings<br />
Some offenders leave correctional<br />
centres as role models that will inspire<br />
others to live better lives whilst<br />
others succumb to a live of crime and<br />
end up behind bars for life. In acknowledgement<br />
of those offenders who are<br />
rehabilitated and who open themselves<br />
to be rehabilitated, Kroonstad’s Social<br />
Reintegration office hosted an event on<br />
30 July.<br />
A further aim was to popularise the<br />
concept of correctional supervision as<br />
an alternative sentencing option by the<br />
courts.<br />
The event was attended by representatives<br />
from various institutions including<br />
churches, magistrate courts, Flavius<br />
Mareka College, government depart-<br />
R E H A B I L I TAT I O N<br />
Talent comes in all<br />
packages By Thomo waga Nkgadima<br />
A convicted<br />
robber became a visual artist<br />
to make his maximum sentence more<br />
bearable. Norman Lyons (28), a convict<br />
at Baviaanspoort Maximum correctional<br />
centre near Pretoria, is currently serving a<br />
15-year sentence for armed robbery with aggravating<br />
circumstances.<br />
“I inherited a love for art from my mother<br />
who was a self taught artist. Unfortunately<br />
she died before I realised my dream of becoming<br />
a professional artist one day,” Lyons<br />
said. “Art is in my blood and I feel inspired<br />
when officials and fellow inmates compliment<br />
me on my work. It is a tribute to a poor<br />
woman who brought me into this world,” he<br />
explained.<br />
Five years on parole and going<br />
strong By Nandipha Ramadikela<br />
Charmaine Phillips-Rabie talking about her<br />
rehabilitation process<br />
ments and the South African Police<br />
Service.<br />
Ms Marinda Viljoen, a social worker in<br />
the Social Reintegration office said, “We<br />
are marketing correctional supervision<br />
as an alternative sentence option and we<br />
want to identify and recruit service providers<br />
who can become involved in the<br />
skills development programmes for such<br />
offenders.”<br />
Head of Social Reintegration, Mr Israel<br />
Makwa said previously it was difficult<br />
for parolees to serve their non-custodial<br />
sentences successfully due to a lack of<br />
supervision. “Some offenders returned<br />
to our centres and requested to be readmitted<br />
whilst others committed further<br />
crimes,” said Mr Makwa.<br />
The highlight of the day was when Charmaine<br />
Phillips-Rabie, who is on parole<br />
for life, spoke of her past and present life.<br />
She said, “At the age of seven, I experienced<br />
my family falling apart. As a result<br />
I grew up in foster care and it was not<br />
easy. I rejected society because I felt that<br />
society had rejected me and I ended up<br />
in prison.”<br />
Charmaine was arrested for four counts<br />
of murder and three counts of theft. She<br />
came to believe that she would never<br />
leave prison. Yet today she is the proud<br />
owner of a successful hair salon. She<br />
learned to be a hairdresser while at<br />
Kroonstad Centre of Excellence.<br />
Charmaine also paints and sells art<br />
while being involved in training other<br />
offenders and assisting with emotional<br />
cases. She celebrated five years as a<br />
parolee on 20 August.<br />
SA Corrections Today<br />
Lyons shares his artistic soul with fellow<br />
offenders. Some consider him a teacher as he<br />
sharpens their art skills in pencil drawing and<br />
painting.<br />
“I decided to start a new life behind bars<br />
when I realised that I deserve to be given a<br />
second chance when I finish serving my sentence,”<br />
Lyons said.<br />
“I view skills transfer to fellow offenders<br />
as a way to say sorry for the offence I committed.<br />
I am learning through painful experience.<br />
I keep myself away from any temptation<br />
to engage in gangsterism.”<br />
Lyons urged those willing to assist with art<br />
material and training to contact Baviaanspoort<br />
Maximum <strong>Correctional</strong> centre Head<br />
and Deputy Director, Sydney Maseko on<br />
(012) 841 8665.<br />
Ex offender sets pace<br />
By Lewies Davids and Dimpho Mongae<br />
Simon Peloeareng Magapong (43) once<br />
broke the law and landed behind bars.<br />
While serving time at Rooigrond <strong>Correctional</strong><br />
Centre, Magapong finished grade 12<br />
and later enrolled for several courses, including<br />
theology and farming. In October 2004<br />
he was paroled and re-united with his family<br />
in Lotlhakane Village. To put food on the table,<br />
he started selling hake fish for R5 to R7<br />
a piece until he felt he had saved enough to<br />
pursue his dream of starting a piggery. Little<br />
did he realise that his total savings of R3 000<br />
were not enough for the erection of buildings,<br />
fencing and buying the required pigs to<br />
kick-start the project.<br />
Magapong then decided to form a cooperative<br />
with five other guys. “We received a donation<br />
of R462 000 from Department of Social<br />
Development which really helped ease<br />
our burden,” said Magapong. He thanked the<br />
Department of <strong>Correctional</strong> <strong>Services</strong> “for<br />
the rehabilitation and the piggery lessons<br />
they offered. It is up to an individual to grab<br />
opportunities while serving a prison term. I<br />
plan to hire other ex-offenders so that they<br />
can keep themselves busy and keep away<br />
from wrong-doing,” he said.<br />
Magapong, a self-proclaimed ‘rehabilitation<br />
product’ said correctional officials monitored<br />
the progress of his cooperative on a<br />
regular basis and offered free advise on how<br />
to properly care for the pigs.<br />
The pigs receive medical check-ups from<br />
a veterinarian attached to North West University.<br />
Mr Hennie Ebersohn, an agriculture<br />
manager in <strong>Correctional</strong> <strong>Services</strong> has assisted<br />
the coop to obtain wooden shavings,<br />
which he said were essential bedding in the<br />
piggery.
R E H A B I L I TAT I O N<br />
Ridwaan Adams, project manager (left) and Jonathan Lennert, operations manager are<br />
keeping Basic Radio alive and kicking on 91.3fm<br />
Airwaves are cooking in Brandvlei<br />
By Estelle Coetzee and Manual Rooms<br />
It is 91.3 broadcasting live from Brandvlei Youth Centre. If you<br />
haven’t known, welcome to Basic Radio, a radio station that<br />
broadcasts to the entire Brandvlei Management Area.<br />
Behind the microphone are offenders and<br />
correctional officials alike doing what<br />
they have learned to love and master.<br />
Officials and offenders who want to listen<br />
to great music, stay informed of daily news<br />
updates and contemporary issues presented<br />
with a corrections flavour, can tune into their<br />
Keeping training exciting seems to come<br />
easy for Jonathan<br />
own homegrown radio productions.<br />
The two officials behind the steering wheel,<br />
Ridwaan Adams and Jonathan Lennert know<br />
their craft and they know their audiences. It<br />
is evident that their hearts belong to Basic<br />
Radio. Ridwaan has completed several radio<br />
broadcasting courses over the years, starting<br />
off with a Cape Technikon qualification in<br />
this field. Jonathan is currently attending a<br />
4-months course in educational programme<br />
production in the Netherlands, a course that<br />
Ridwaan also completed a while back.<br />
Whilst their focus is on skills development<br />
for juvenile offenders, some of the long term<br />
offenders that they have trained have since<br />
migrated to the adult centre. They are allowed<br />
to continue presenting programmes<br />
with a different focus, for adult listeners and<br />
so the station’s reach is growing.<br />
Success<br />
Basic Radio’s recipe for content is simple<br />
yet effective: alternate education with entertainment.<br />
It therefore presents current affairs,<br />
magazine, news and music programmes.<br />
Like any journalist, the presenters and station<br />
managers tap into current affairs for programme<br />
ideas. For instance, a popular South<br />
African musician is accused of domestic violence.<br />
Basic Radio used this incident during<br />
Women’s Month to get their listeners talking<br />
about women’s rights.<br />
The station is kitted out well. It has a production/editing<br />
studio, an on-air studio, a<br />
news generation department and a music<br />
library where a dedicated music compiler<br />
(offender) sits and compiles music for all the<br />
different programmes.<br />
Partnerships<br />
This year is the station’s 13th year running<br />
and it is growing from strength to strength.<br />
The station managers are always on the lookout<br />
for partnerships. So it has come that several<br />
released offenders who have been trained<br />
by them have found employment at other stations,<br />
such as Fresh FM (Pick ‘n Pay’s store<br />
station), Clicks Live and other local community<br />
radio stations.<br />
Funding for the station’s equipment came<br />
from the Royal Netherlands Embassy, the<br />
Weyerhauser Family Trust and the Open Society<br />
Foundation.<br />
Training<br />
About 100 offenders have been trained in<br />
radio broadcasting over the years and the average<br />
annual number is twelve. The course<br />
duration is eight months of theory and practice,<br />
after which the offenders start working<br />
in the station. Although Ridwaan is an accredited<br />
assessor, the course as such has not<br />
yet been accredited. Application for accreditation<br />
has been submitted to SETA.<br />
The future<br />
When asked about future plans, Ridwaan<br />
was enthusiastic about the possibility that<br />
Basic Radio, as a successful case study, can<br />
be replicated throughout the country with,<br />
perhaps, Brandvlei as the nerve centre of<br />
a network of satellite radio stations across<br />
DCS facilities.<br />
Offenders celebrating their achievements<br />
Graduation at<br />
Carolina<br />
By Moses Nkabinde<br />
Carolina <strong>Correctional</strong> Unit under the<br />
leadership of Ms Singile Khumalo held<br />
a graduation ceremony in which fourteen<br />
inmates and two parolees received<br />
certificates for successfully completing a<br />
six months biblical course offered by the<br />
Seventh Day Adventist Church. About<br />
250 churchgoers attended.<br />
Three parolees are currently employed<br />
by Carolina municipality as an electrician,<br />
a maintenance official and a sewerage<br />
controller.<br />
JULY/AUGUST 2009 <strong>17</strong>
The dynamos at WPFG<br />
By Braam Scheepers<br />
The national DCS athletics team showed once again why they are<br />
considered world class.<br />
The 10 000 metre events were dominated<br />
by DCS officials and in total tallied five<br />
gold, one silver and four bronze medals,<br />
notwithstanding the fact that several top<br />
athletes withdrew shortly before departure to<br />
Vancouver.<br />
Kosie Botha from Brandvlei <strong>Correctional</strong><br />
Centre scooped six gold medals in the 10km<br />
cross country race, the 5000 metre, 10 000<br />
metre and 21km road race. The 53-year old<br />
said he was on cloud nine and proud of himself.<br />
The other two medals were won in team<br />
events.<br />
Enock Skosana of Pretoria Management<br />
Area won five gold medals in the 10km cross<br />
DCS cyclist Anchen Naudé (right) with yet<br />
another gold medal in the 40 km road race<br />
event is joined on the podium by second<br />
placed cyclist Allison Chisholm<br />
country, the 5000 metre, 10 000 metre and<br />
21km road race. He said beating an Olympic<br />
silver medalist in the 10km race was an extra<br />
feather in his cap.<br />
Kosie and Enock competed in different age<br />
groups.<br />
W O R L D P O L I C E A N D F I R E G A M E S<br />
Ronel Thomas of Gauteng regional office<br />
dominated the women’s athletics events by<br />
crossing the finish line first in the 10km cross<br />
country, 21km road race, 1500 metre race<br />
and the 5000 metre race. The little pocket<br />
rocket bagged no less than five gold and two<br />
silver medals at the Games. Miriam Mooki<br />
and Lorraine Gradwell scooped the silver<br />
and bronze medals respectively in this category.<br />
10km cross country<br />
The cross country events took place at the<br />
picturesque Jericho Beach Park in Vancouver<br />
and the course included a tough stretch<br />
of 400 metres on the beach.<br />
The department’s athletes were challenged<br />
strongly by the Russian athletes but they performed<br />
well by winning most of the medals<br />
in this category.<br />
In the Open Men category, Nare Makgakga<br />
ran a very good second place and earned<br />
himself the silver medal. Aaron Gabonewe<br />
also ran a close second in the Men Senior<br />
(A) category. Enoch Skosana took gold again<br />
when he not only won the Senior Men (B)<br />
category, but also crossed the line in less<br />
than 50 seconds behind the overall winner.<br />
The Master Men (A) category caused a lot<br />
of excitement as the finishing positions were<br />
contested by three DCS athletes. Isaac Opperman<br />
managed to beat Keith Court (silver)<br />
and Paul Nkosi (bronze) to the line.<br />
Lorraine Gradwell entered the 3000 metre<br />
steeplechase and won a gold medal. This was<br />
an exceptional achievement as it is not an<br />
SA Corrections Today<br />
Golden Glory. Nare Makgakga, Kosie Botha<br />
and Enoch Skosana showcase their medals<br />
event she often participates in and also because<br />
she was going to participate in the 10<br />
000 metre race the next day followed by a<br />
10km cross country race the day after that.<br />
Twenty three kilometres in three consecutive<br />
days is a huge task for any athlete.<br />
In the 800 metre open Charles Jantjies ran<br />
second in a very competitive race.<br />
In the 100 metre (50-54 years) Joseph Warries<br />
was well ahead of the others to win a<br />
gold medal.<br />
Cycling<br />
Anchen Naudé at the national office also<br />
proved that dynamite came in small packets<br />
when she had fellow cyclists chasing her<br />
shadow on her way to winning the 40km road<br />
race. In total Anchen collected two gold, two<br />
silver medals and one bronze medal.<br />
Darts<br />
In the darts competition, Vicky Carnow of<br />
Malmesbury Management Area won three<br />
gold medals and one silver medal. She was<br />
undisputedly the best female dart player at<br />
the event.<br />
Putting to perfection. Jacques van Wyk<br />
aiming to Birdie whilst Gerhard Scheepers<br />
(overall winner) looks on<br />
Golf<br />
Gerhard Scheepers of Pretoria Management<br />
Area defended his title as champion of<br />
2007 successfully when he outplayed more<br />
than 300 golfers to be crowned overall winner<br />
and champion for 2009. This was an excellent<br />
achievement to have won in two consecutive<br />
events.<br />
Lawn bowls<br />
The Lawn Bowling team, as was the case<br />
with the rugby team, was declared champions<br />
of the World Police & Fire Games 2009.<br />
The lawn bowlers were a crowd favourite and<br />
other countries lined up to have photos taken<br />
with this DCS team. The team took most of<br />
the medals on offer in this code.
Lawn bowling the greens on fire. The DCS<br />
team won gold as the best team at the<br />
WPFG. Yolanda Watkins, Marius Roux,<br />
Yolande Harmse, Joshua Radebe, Derêne<br />
Fourie, Neels Kotze, Ronelle Kriel and<br />
Gidion Vermeulen (from left to right)<br />
Karate / Taekwondo<br />
At the onset it was evident that the competition<br />
was going to be the best seen in many<br />
years. To begin with Jan Badenhorst had to<br />
face one of the strongest competitors in the<br />
event, which incidentally was the same competitor<br />
he beat in the final of the 2007 Games.<br />
Jan ended up receiving bronze medals in the<br />
Kata team event and also in the Unison Kata.<br />
Humphrey Skosana, the recently crowned<br />
Kumite Men Masters World Champion did<br />
The victorious DCS 7’s Rugby team joined in<br />
song by the runners-up, SAPS. DCS won the<br />
final match 46-12<br />
not have it all his own way. He managed to<br />
win the silver medal in the Kumite and the<br />
bronze medals in the Kata team event, Kumite<br />
team event as well as the individual<br />
Kata event.<br />
Two female officials, both newcomers to the<br />
WPFG gave a good account of themselves.<br />
Ursula Skosana collected the gold medal in<br />
the Kumite team event and the bronze medal<br />
in the Kumite individual event whilst Mantwa<br />
Motse made her home crowd proud by<br />
winning the gold medal in another Kumite<br />
team event and also won bronze medals in<br />
her Kata team event and the Kumite individual<br />
event.<br />
Rugby 7s<br />
The DCS team was surprised to learn that<br />
their first match would be against the 2007<br />
champions, SAPS against whom they lost in<br />
W O R L D P O L I C E A N D F I R E G A M E S<br />
the final two years ago. DCS took no chances<br />
in the first group match and punched out<br />
a comfortable 40–0 win over the somewhat<br />
shell-shocked SAPS team.<br />
Elcardo Mintoor crossed the white wash<br />
three times and converted four of the six tries<br />
for a personal tally of 23 points. The second<br />
group match against South Wales Fire<br />
Brigade witnessed the might of the talented<br />
DCS winning 48–0.<br />
This time Elton Mannaka scored three tries<br />
as the opponents had no answer to the pace<br />
and skills of the DCS team. The Italian Fire<br />
<strong>Services</strong> came out firing and was the first team<br />
to score points against the South Africans.<br />
Although the Italians put up a spirited fight it<br />
was to no avail as they lost 31–7. Elton Mannaka<br />
and Elcardo Mintoor scored two tries<br />
each in this physical encounter. In the fourth<br />
and final group match the DCS faced the<br />
unknown team of the North Vancouver Fire<br />
Brigade. The South Africans were on song<br />
again, scoring seven unanswered tries in a<br />
victory of 41–0. In the four group matches<br />
DCS scored 160 points (26 tries) and only<br />
conceded seven points (1 try). This qualified<br />
the team for<br />
the semi-final<br />
match against<br />
the Fire <strong>Services</strong><br />
of Italy.<br />
The DCS<br />
team had little<br />
trouble in<br />
beating their<br />
opponents on<br />
the way to the<br />
final. Elcardo<br />
Mintoor (three<br />
tries) once<br />
again rounded<br />
off most of the opportunities followed by Elton<br />
Manakka with two tries of his own. The<br />
South Africans won comfortably with a score<br />
of 38–0.<br />
The final saw DCS versus SAPS. A repetition<br />
of the 2007 WPFG final was on the<br />
cards. This time DCS was well prepared and<br />
ready for the SAPS onslaught. The result of<br />
the first match as well as the unbeaten status<br />
merely provided motivation as it meant nothing<br />
if the final was lost against the SAPS.<br />
SAPS scored two tries, but DCS was not<br />
going to be denied this year. It looked as if<br />
they had hardly worked up a sweat as they<br />
ran off the field with a final score of 46–12.<br />
They scored eight tries in the final game to<br />
claim back their title as WPFG champions.<br />
Mr Stu Ballantyne, the CEO of the WPFG<br />
commented that, “the South African DCS<br />
team played like Springboks. The final between<br />
SAPS and DCS was probably the<br />
most watched and anticipated event of the<br />
Games.”<br />
JULY/AUGUST 2009<br />
Don’t be<br />
caught offside<br />
Heart disease is one of the leading<br />
causes of death worldwide, and people<br />
who have abnormally high pressure<br />
in their arteries are far more likely<br />
than others to die prematurely of heart<br />
disease.<br />
Although a certain amount of pressure is<br />
needed to carry the blood through your<br />
body, if that pressure is too great, you<br />
have high blood pressure, or hypertension.<br />
Symptoms<br />
Hypertension is one of the main risk factors<br />
for heart disease, stroke, and kidney failure.<br />
It can occasionally cause headaches, vision<br />
problems, dizziness, or shortness of breath,<br />
but most people with hypertension have no<br />
symptoms. This is why it is referred to as<br />
the “silent killer.” Hypertension is usually<br />
discovered during a medical checkup when<br />
a doctor or nurse takes a blood pressure reading.<br />
When blood pressure is measured, two<br />
measurements are taken and two numbers<br />
are indicated, for example, “one-twenty<br />
over eighty,” written as 120/80. This is because<br />
each heartbeat sends a pressure wave<br />
through the bloodstream. The higher figure<br />
(systolic blood pressure) is at the peak of the<br />
wave, when your heart contracts. The lower<br />
figure (diastolic blood pressure) is the lower<br />
“dip” or trough of the wave, when your heart<br />
relaxes.<br />
In general, someone has high blood pressure<br />
if several measurements show readings<br />
of 140/90 or higher.<br />
Causes<br />
Primary (or essential) hypertension is when<br />
the cause is unknown. The majority of hypertension<br />
cases are primary. When there is an<br />
underlying problem such as kidney disease<br />
or hormonal derangements that can cause<br />
hypertension, it is called secondary hypertension.<br />
When it is possible to correct the underlying<br />
cause, high blood pressure usually improves<br />
or may even return to normal. Other<br />
factors that can cause hypertension are age<br />
(blood pressure usually increases with age),<br />
diet, excessive alcohol consumption, lack of<br />
exercise, obesity and stress.<br />
The last three: fat, stress and lack of exercise<br />
characterize many people’s lifestyle, especially<br />
those in urban areas. That is why it<br />
is so important to eat healthily, exercise the<br />
flabby tummy and buttocks on the treadmill,<br />
and go out to smell the flowers!<br />
9
20<br />
W O R L D P O L I C E A N D F I R E G A M E S<br />
Continued from front page<br />
Scooping hundreds of medals at international games<br />
By Tshifhiwa Magadani and Braam Scheepers<br />
This followed ten days of vigorous competition<br />
in the World Police and Fire Games<br />
held in that country.<br />
The tournament witnessed South African<br />
correctional officials at the top of their game,<br />
Appreciation is a wonderful thing<br />
By Director Employee Sport and Recreation, Pravesh Bhoodram<br />
Appreciation is a wonderful thing. It makes what is excellent in<br />
others belong to us as well.<br />
Exceptional competition, amazing volunteers,<br />
several social events, and<br />
new and renewed friendships with<br />
memories to last a lifetime exemplified<br />
the 13th World Police and Fire Games<br />
in Vancouver from 31 July to 9 August<br />
2009. The Game’s tribute to law enforcement<br />
officers throughout the world was a<br />
spectacular international sporting event<br />
that offered police officers, fire fighters,<br />
custom officials and correctional officials<br />
the opportunity to showcase their athletic<br />
excellence. DCS sport stars took up the<br />
challenge against the rest of the world<br />
with their Vuvuzelas, singing, dancing<br />
and eye catching attire. Wherever the<br />
DCS team went they captured and held<br />
the attention of hundreds of civilians at<br />
the airport, at the accreditation venue<br />
and at all the venues where South Africans<br />
competed.<br />
Management participated in the programme<br />
for prospective bidders and<br />
attended presentations by the winning<br />
countries. They were also present when<br />
the games for 2015 were awarded to<br />
Fairfax, Virginia. The WPFG has developed<br />
an observer’s programme for successful<br />
bidders and DCS management<br />
scooping up 86 gold, 59 silver, and 71 bronze<br />
medals. They broke their own record of 2007<br />
in which they won 163 medals.<br />
Shortly after they landed at OR Tambo Airport,<br />
the tired yet jubilant correctional offi-<br />
The President of the<br />
WPFG, Mr Michael<br />
Graham, took some<br />
time out to meet with<br />
the DCS delegation<br />
Mr Hento Davids,<br />
Mr Joseph Nkhabu<br />
and Mr Pravesh<br />
Bhoodram.<br />
was privileged to be invited to be part<br />
of this team as this invitation is only reserved<br />
for successful bidders.<br />
Stu Ballantyne the CEO of the WPFG<br />
commented at the rugby finals where<br />
South Africa took the Gold medal, “The<br />
South African’s are playing like Springboks.<br />
The rugby final between the South<br />
African Police and <strong>Correctional</strong> <strong>Services</strong><br />
was the most watched and anticipated<br />
event of the games.”<br />
The head of the DCS delegation, Mr.<br />
Hento Davids had only words of praise<br />
for those managers who went beyond<br />
the call of duty to make this event the<br />
best ever. They overcame several challenges<br />
through cooperation and commitment.<br />
All athletes conducted themselves<br />
with integrity and were true ambassadors<br />
for South Africa.<br />
The DCS leadership, especially the<br />
Minister, National Commissioner and<br />
CDC Corporate <strong>Services</strong> must be commended<br />
for allowing this world class<br />
team to participate in the WPFG amidst<br />
stringent cost cutting measures as the<br />
team has exceeded all expectations and<br />
has returned with an unprecedented 216<br />
medals.<br />
SA Corrections Today<br />
cials were hanging and smiling from ear to<br />
ear with their colleagues and their loved ones<br />
who gave them a hero’s welcome.<br />
When asked what the mood was like during<br />
the event, the team manager, Mr Hento Davids<br />
(Deputy Commissioner Equity and Recreation)<br />
replied, “The team was so focused<br />
and dedicated, the oomph and raring to go<br />
attitude of the officials were tangible.”<br />
The European teams jokingly accused <strong>Correctional</strong><br />
<strong>Services</strong> of having brought their national<br />
team of “Springboks” to Canada. This<br />
was after they beat their South African counterpart,<br />
the South Africa Police <strong>Services</strong> to<br />
be crowned the champions of the 2009 World<br />
Police and Fire Games.<br />
“You have done us proud. Your excellent<br />
performance at the games is an indicator that<br />
we have among us the best in the world”,<br />
said Minister Mapisa-Nqakula at a lunch for<br />
the athletes.<br />
“You have not done it only for us as <strong>Correctional</strong><br />
<strong>Services</strong>, but you have placed South<br />
Africa on the world map as one of the top<br />
sporting nations of the world,” she continued.<br />
<strong>Correctional</strong> <strong>Services</strong> participated for the<br />
6th time in this stellar international event. The<br />
theme of the games was, honour and respect<br />
for law enforcement officers. The games attracted<br />
over 10 000 participants from over 30<br />
countries and more than 35 000 sports tourists.<br />
South Africa is gearing itself to bid for<br />
the 20<strong>17</strong> World Police and Fire Games.<br />
Medals table<br />
Sport code Gold Silver Bronze Totals<br />
Athletics 43 37 18 98<br />
Badminton - - 4 4<br />
Biathlon - - - -<br />
Cycling 2 3 2 7<br />
Darts 6 6 9 21<br />
Fresh<br />
Water<br />
Angling<br />
2 3 - 5<br />
Golf 3 3 3 9<br />
Karate /<br />
Taekwando<br />
Lawn<br />
Bowls<br />
2 3 7 12<br />
12 4 4 20<br />
Rugby 13 - - 13<br />
Soccer - - 20 20<br />
Squash 1 - 1 2<br />
Tennis 2 - 3 5<br />
Pistol<br />
Shooting<br />
- - - -<br />
Volleyball - - - -<br />
Totals 86 59 71 216