SA Corrections April08.pdf - Department of Correctional Services

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M A N A G E M E N T N E W S Guests and officials celebrated a life well lived by singing songs and dancing. Gone but not forgotten … Mlombile’s legacy lives on By Dimakatso Mokwena The department held a moving memorial crusade for the late Gauteng Regional Commissioner, Siyabulela Mlombile on 21 May in Pretoria Management Area. The event was attended by senior managers in the department, including Minister Ngconde Balfour, National Commissioner Vernie Petersen, the department’s Chief Deputy Commissioners (CDCs), Gauteng and Western Cape Regional Commissioners, Adv Thozama Mqobi and James Smalberger respectively, as well as other officials. The late Siyabulela Mlombile’s family, including his wife and children also attended the crusade. Mlombile was described by many speakers as a man who feared God and had a deep understanding of social conditions in the community. “He understood the impact of such conditions on the cycle of crime and their effects on the criminal justice system of the country,” said the programme director, Mr Walter Mashiya of Leeuwkop Management Area. National Commissioner Petersen spoke about the legacy that Mlombile left, not only for the department but for the country as whole. “He left a legacy of corrections as a societal responsibility,” he said referring to Mlombile’s enormous contribution to the development of the White Paper on Corrections in South Africa. “Today we are here to celebrate a life well lived and we are honouring and acknowledging him because he was one of our own,” said Mr Petersen. Pastor Thembile Ngidi of Boksburg Correctional Centre said Mlombile was a spiritual icon. “The demons were afraid of him because he was a spiritual giant,” he said and qualified his statement by relating a story when Mlombile helped him to cast away demonic spirits from an offender who was possessed. All the speakers said that Mlombile was a man who dedicated his life to the people of South Africa by serving with loyalty, integrity, commitment and dedication. Mlombile’s wife Phyllis (white outfit) and her sister were moved by the department’s memorial crusade for Siyabulela. Siyabulela Mlombile passed away in May 2006 at the age of 43 and was buried in the Eastern Cape. Mlombile fought for the freedom of South Africa from the hands of apartheid. His quest for freedom saw him traveling a shadowy journey in the bushes of African countries before he could return to the country to serve his people with pride. He joined the department in April SA Corrections Today 2002 as CDC Corporate Services and acted as the first CDC Corrections in April 2004. Also in 2004 he was appointed as Gauteng Regional Commissioner until the time of his death. Minister Balfour said Mlombile always strived for excellence and committed himself to transformation of the department. “It was not by default that he was taken from another department into Correctional Services.” Not only did the Mlombile crusade seek to celebrate Mlombile’s life, it also presented an avenue for deepening society’s understanding of its own role in rehabilitation and social reintegration of offenders into the community when released. Reviewing Mlombile’s work: Judge Justice Langa said Mlombile’s legacy will forever live on and will help in crime prevention. In the evening, an Inaugural Mlombile Memorial Lecture was held at UNISA. Prior to the ceremony, Mlombile’s three children, Nozipho, Zukiswa and Bennie were seen exchanging handshakes with their father’s friend and colleague, CDC Jenny Schreiner and having a casual chat. Delivering the keynote address, Chief Justice of South Africa, Judge Pius Langa said when reviewing the context of Mlombile’s work as Gauteng Regional Commissioner, Mlombile acknowledged that the social reintegration of offenders depended much on the goodwill of correctional officials and the community. His work on the White Paper showed how committed he was to his work. Mlombile realised that offenders were most vulnerable when they were released and needed to be rehabilitated rather than punished. “It is true that as a society we can be judged by how we treat the vulnerable,” he said. Judge Langa also said crime prevention should be at the top of the department’s agenda. The department can fight crime through rehabilitating offenders and ensuring that they did not re-offend when released – that was Mlombile’s dream, said Judge Langa.
M A N A G E M E N T N E W S Minister of Health, Manto Tshabalala-Msimang, Deputy President Phumzile Mlambo-Ngcuka and Minister Ngconde Balfour remembered those who died of AIDS by lighting candles. Sixteenth ARV site accredited By Dimakatso Mokwena Pretoria Management Area launched an ARV site on 2 May amid attendance of cabinet ministers and commissioners from eight African countries. Cabinet ministers who attended the media-studded event was Deputy President, Phumzile Mlambo-Ngcuka, the department’s Minister Ngconde Balfour, Minister of Health, Manto Tshabalala-Msimang and the department’s Deputy Minister Loretta Jacobus. National Commissioner Vernie Petersen and Finally: After a year-long of trying to receive accreditation, the Pretoria Management Area’s Tshepo Wellness Clinic was officially opened by the Deputy President as an ARV site. Commissioners from Swaziland, Zimbabwe, Zambia, Rwanda, Namibia, Benin, Tanzania and Ghana who were in the country for an African Correctional Services Association meeting, also graced the event with their presence. Addressing hundreds of officials and the department’s stakeholders who attended the event, Ms Tshabalala-Msimang said she was excited the clinic is called Tshepo Wellness Clinic because tshepo means hope. She also said there should be a balance between HIV and AIDS prevention and the provision of medication. “We cannot only focus on providing ARVs, we also need to focus on prevention,” said Ms Tshabalala-Msimang. The health Minister also led a candle lighting ceremony in remembrance of those who have died of HIV and AIDS. Answering questions from the media, Minister Balfour said HIV-positive offenders are provided with good nutrition to go with their medication and the centre will cover seven other correctional centres within Gauteng. In delivering her keynote address, Ms Mlambo-Ngcuka said the opening of the clinic ties in with the motto of the department that says Correctional Services is a place of new beginnings. She encouraged offenders to enroll in rehabilitation programmes so that they can fight crime and contribute to the social and economic development of the country. “We are extending our hand as government to build a better South Africa with you, not without you,” she said. Speaking to SA Corrections Today, Zorian Tshabalala who is a nurse and the clinic’s manager said he was happy that at long last the clinic is open. “It has been a year for us trying to get accreditation for this site,” he said. APRIL/MAY 2008 New Inspecting Judge of Prisons The Department of Correctional Services has appointed a new Inspecting Judge for Prisons. Judge Deon Hurter van Zyl, who is taking over from Judge Ntlupeko Yekiso was appointed by Minister Balfour in the acting position from the 1 May 2008. He is presently a professor of law at North West University, and at the universities of Stellenbosch and the Free State. He also served, for a number of years, as a visiting professor at the University of Edinburgh in Scotland. New CDC Development and Care Ms Subashini Moodley has been appointed the new Chief Deputy Commissioner (CDC) Development and Care. Ms Moodley has been a Deputy Commissioner for more than ten years. She served as a DC in various portfolio’s of which the most recent was DC Personal Corrections.
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SA Corrections April08.pdf - Department of Correctional Services

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