A REPORT by JUSTICE MTR MOGOENG Mogwase Correctional
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A REPORT BY JUSTICE MTR MOGOENG Mogwase Correctional Centre Introduction My clerks, Ms Joelle Barnes, Ms Nomonde Nyembe, and I visited the Mogwase Correctional Centre, in the North West Province, on 14 June 2010. We were warmly received by the Management of the Centre under the leadership of Mr N.S. Nkosi, who is the Head of the Mogwase Centre. Mogwase Centre has the capacity to accommodate 1400 offenders 1 and currently houses 600 (including 57 awaiting trial offenders). Space was created to accommodate 300 Soccer World Cup offenders who were expected to come to the Centre from Rustenburg, Sun City and Bafokeng. On the whole it is a fairly well-run Centre notwithstanding a few challenges which I note below: Staff (a) Three posts of Senior Correctional Officers, who should assist the Centre Coordinator, were vacant. These are officers responsible for the rehabilitation of offenders. The result is, the core business of the centre which is correction or rehabilitation is significantly compromised. (b) The posts of the Human Resources Manager and the Senior State Accountant are also vacant. (c) The post of the Head of Security is vacant. He or she is the one who should prevent and address assaults, prevent escapes, control or prevent unauthorised weapons for the safety of visitors, staff, and the inmates. He or she also has to prevent riots. (d) Only 170 of the 214 posts which were approved in 2003 have been filled. Ideally, a 250 strong workforce is, according to management, required to carry out the business of the centre well. 1 This figure is determined by the Deputy Director of Correctional Services. 1 We were led to believe that a moratorium has been placed on the filling of vacancies. As a result even the above critical posts have remained vacant for a long time. A visit to other Centres, however, exposed us to an altogether different perspective, particularly in Kimberley. Training Some of the activities through which skills could be transferred to the inmates have been discontinued owing to challenges that the Department of Labour apparently has with regard to transferring money, dedicated to skills development, to the Centre. This concern was raised by all five centres we visited except for the New Kimberley Correctional Centre. Inmates are however trained to manufacture jerseys for all correctional centres in South Africa. We were very impressed. They have even been trained to service and repair the sewing machines themselves. Educational programs with a good library are in place. A lot needs to be done, however, to upgrade the skills of the IT instructors so that they can in turn impart more on their students. Kitchen and Laundry The electric pots and the laundry equipment have been in a state of disrepair for some five years and clearly require urgent attention. Three legged pots are used to cook for the inmates in an open space with wood fires and this could be problematic when it rains or when it is too hot. Public Works is said not to have been helpful at all. Medical Facilities Medical facilities are in a good state. The balance of the report prepared by my clerks under my supervision follows below. Important statistics • Capacity – 1400 offenders • Current occupancy – 687 offenders (plus 300 beds set aside for Soccer World Cup offenders) • Current percentage of occupancy – 49% of its capacity • Awaiting trial detainees – 57 offenders (housed in separate units) • Security classification of centre – minimum security 2 • Classification of offenders / detainees – adult, male • Escapes – none • Gangsterism is not a concern, the centre has the capacity to diffuse any gangster- related activities. • The three meal policy is fully implemented. Mr Nkosi reports that the number of violent crimes committed by offenders against other offenders has been reduced by 98%. Sexual violence is rarely reported, and as such it seems that it is not a problem. There was one incident of forced sexual intercourse over the weekend. The case has been opened with the South African Police Service and the victim was given medical treatment. Apparently, such incidents are sometimes only reported where there was a breach of a promise of payment for sexual acts or where consent to the sexual intercourse was garnered under duress. Personnel Head of correctional centre – Mr NS Nkosi Mr Ntatisang –Co-ordinator of Corrections and offender rehabilitation, also managing staff support and correctional support, security and human resources. Head of Security – vacant (currently falling under Mr Ntatisang’s role) Mr Gubela – case management officer Ms Mokwoena – social worker (one of three) Mr Meli – Manager for agriculture, skills training and helps with human resources Mr Seabucha – nurse (one of 3) Mr Diba – in charge of requisitioning furniture, food etc. Roving doctor (once a month) and dentist (once a week) 3 permanent nurses Librarian – currently vacant. Number of approved staff members – 214 Current number of staff members – 170. “Ideal” number of staff members – 250. Facilities 3 • Mogwase Centre has one bed per offender, with mattresses and blankets. There is no shortage of these amenities. • Tuckshop for visitors (open daily), tuckshop for offenders (available once a month on a cashless system). • Computer room with 6 old computers (these were old computers donated by government department when they upgraded) and 1 new computer (being used by an offender who is studying towards a diploma in IT). • School – four classrooms. Offenders who attend schools are housed in separate cells. • An impressive library, easily accessed by all. • Workshop (textile factory and maintenance of sewing machines; inmates jerseys are manufactured here). • Chapel / church room. • One cell has specifically been adapted to accommodate an inmate who is paraplegic as a result of being shot by a police officer. There are special rails around the cell and chains from the roof with which he can manoeuvre himself into bed and to use the facilities. Kitchen The kitchen is sufficiently clean, very spacious and organised. The lady running the kitchen, with the help of several offenders prepares all three meals per day on a 12-day protein diet. The produce is fresh and the offenders receive protein once a day, with vegetables/fruit and starch as part of every meal. There were no complaints about the food which is tested daily by a member of staff to ensure that it is satisfactory. We also tested the food and found it to be acceptable. The deep frying vats and electric boiler pots have been broken for a number of years now (Mr Nkosi states that at least one pot has been broken for the entire duration of his time in charge – since 2003). For the last six months the kitchen has been cooking the meals in 3-legged pots over fires. The centre is waiting on the Department of Public Works to repair in replace the pots. 4 Health care • Sickbay with attached room for monitoring ill patients, although it is not staffed on a 24-hour basis. Seriously ill patients are assessed and sent to hospital. There is always a nurse on standby. Mogwase Centre has its own ambulance parked outside to transport them. • Medicine storeroom • Dressing room (for dressing wounds, also has facilities for suturing) • Quarantine room for offenders with communicable diseases • Dentist room with dentist chair Rehabilitative programmes and opportunities There is a whole section called the “school” whose motto is “Each one, teach one”. One hundred and twenty offenders live in this unit and study in the “classrooms” which are rooms converted from the former women’s centre. Classrooms are a bit run down and do not have any modern facilities but the school seems to be running well. The school was on holiday and so we were unable to see how it operates. The centre has three offenders teachers become tutors to aid in others’ learning. ABET levels 1-4 as well as Grades 10-12, are offered offenders do not have to pay for this. The school is very supportive of offenders who choose to study diplomas and degrees through UNISA but policy dictates that offenders have to pay for such themselves. There are also five offenders currently studying diplomas, and one studying for a degree. We met one offender who is in the process of studying for the practical element of his computer science diploma. The centre holds a graduation event when the offenders finish their courses. The library has an extensive collection of workbooks and textbooks and is currently run by the offenders. Some offender rehabilitative programmes are provided, although some have been discontinued running to budgetary constraints Mr Nkosi suggested that there are some concerns amongst the offenders that these are not effective. The offenders used to be able to take art lessons particularly making, amongst other things, papier mâché sculptures and pottery bowls as well as paintings. These art lessons had to end because of the recession “belt tightening”. The artefacts of those lessons are abandoned in a corridor in the former women’s prison. 5 Some offenders work in the workshop sewing tracksuit tops for the correctional services population across the country. Eighteen offenders work in the workshop for a nominal gratuity in a production line cutting, assembling and sewing the jerseys. They produce up to 300 tops a day. There are eight sewing machines. The workshop also does its own repairs on the machines which both saves time and money in repairs and teaches offenders vital skills. Offenders are taught about agriculture by working in the fields surrounding the centre. Mogwase Centre grows vegetables and breeds cattle. As such, offenders are taught valuable life skills. They train the offenders in the agricultural skills required to farm rather than merely treating the offenders as a workforce or source of labour.