Parliament raises concerns about high vacancy rate at Barberton correctional facilities

The Portfolio Committee on Correctional Services yesterday visited the Barberton Maximum Correctional Centre and Barberton Town Youth Centre, raising concerns about the high vacancy rate at both facilities.

The Chairperson of the committee, Ms Kgomotso Anthea Ramolobeng, noted 20 vacant posts at the Youth Centre, and at the Maximum facility, 46 (or 17.55%) of the 262 posts are vacant. “We are concerned because 46 is an extremely high number. We, as the Portfolio Committee, are very clear that where there are funded posts or vacancies, you (Department of Correctional Services, DCS) ought to fill them. Let’s start with the recruitment process. If it is unfunded posts, we can understand that.”

The Chairperson also called for better planning of human resources. She noted that upcoming retirements are known well in advance, so planning to fill these positions can begin early.

The visits form part of the committee’s week-long oversight visit to Mpumalanga. On Wednesday, the oversight visit began with a walkabout of both facilities.

Members of the committee visited the kitchen, medical unit, remand detainee section, sentenced offenders’ section and the educational facility. The committee commended the cleanliness of the facilities, stating that,given the numbers housed here, the facilities are fairly clean and well-maintained.

At the Youth Centre, the committee noted self-sustaining projects such as woodwork, where school benches are fixed or built, as well as a thriving garden patch. The committee commended the centres for the level of education, both basic and tertiary, provided there. It urged that more funding be made available for education, as it appears that inmates at the centres have an appetite to improve their lives in preparation for reintegration. “It seems like inmates want to participate in skills development, but the resources are limited,” said the Chairperson.

The Youth Centre caters for inmates aged 14 to 24. The committee noted that here, two freezers in the cold room were not working. Five pots at the Maximum facility were not working, and two were partially functioning. “This needs to be addressed before more equipment breaks, and then we will need to run around, not being able to cook for inmates,” said the Chairperson. Ms Ramolobeng further raised concerns about the kitchen at the Youth facility not having dedicated areas to prepare food for inmates with specific dietary requirements.

The Chairperson said the committee was surprised that the centre housed a total of 700 inmates who were serving life sentences. The centre has a bed capacity of 780 but currently houses 1 183 inmates, of whom 117 are foreign nationals. This constitutes 151% overcrowding. “This is quite a high number,” said Ms Ramoboleng. “So, if you take this into account compared to your vacancy rate, it is extremely concerning. We have only seen such high figures at the likes of Kgosi Mampuru Maximum Correctional Centre.”

The committee will next visit the Standerton and Middleburg Correctional Centres.

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