20 - Department of Correctional Services

Officials keep their health in check
By Mashao Mohale
The Department of Correctional Services held a Wellness Day and
Aerobics marathon on the 5th of May with two legged sessions
taking place at the Head Office and Pretoria Management Area
respectively.
Correctional officials at Head Office
braved a breezy and chilly weather
conditions to queue up for their
health conditions to be examined by dieticians,
optometrists and other health
practitioners.
This initiative emerged from the partnership
involving correctional services,
SAPS, SANDF and Johannesburg Metro
Police to keep their employees well and
fit as it is physically required by the nature
of their work environment.
The day’s activities commenced with
high blood pressure, cholesterol, weight
and height of employees being checked
for consistency. Optometrists and dieticians
from Department of Health were
available to provide their professional
advice regarding eye problems and
balanced diets. Eye glasses were prescribed
and issued to employees who
needed immediate attention.
The second phase of event took place
at the Mess Hall in the Pretoria Management
Area wherein participants from various
departments engaged in intensive
aerobic exercises. The hall was packed
The Allandale team with three of the elders who benefitted
from the donation
R E G I O N A L N E W S
Officials get down
to aerobic exercises
during the Wellness
Day event that
started at the Head
Office and ended
at the Pretoria
Management Area
Officials waiting patiently for their eyes to
be examined by optometrist at Head Office
foyer
with men and women with one shared
purpose - to maintain their fitness and
wellbeing.
One could see the dedication of participants
when they made pain-inducing
stretches to ensure effective results.
Our SA Corrections Today reporter
spoke to Mr Sandile Mthembu, Deputy
Director: Directorate of Employees,
Sports and Creation, during an interval
about their motive and background of
the event and he explained, “The well-
4
SA Corrections Today
ness programme started a long time ago
and is informed by our strategic plan. We
should encourage employees to exercise
and strive for fitness to perform their
tasks optimally. Our employees work in
stress inducing environments, therefore,
keeping their fitness on par helps them to
cope and distress well. We have established
33 fitness clubs in different correctional
facilities nationwide and our plan is
to ensure that they are accessible to all
employees”.
He emphasized that all the established
fitness clubs have trained instructors and
facilities.
In addition, SAPS Gauteng Provincial
Coordinator for Fitness Mr Sipho Thwala
said that the initiative contributed massively
in reducing stress and depression
since they work in traumatic milieu.”This
fitness exercises started in 1997 in the
police service. However, we did not have
adequate resources to develop it to this
magnitude. When General Bheki Cele
joined SAPS, he made it his priority and
made funds available for it. Since we
started we have seen the number of sick
leaves declining, stress related cases
amongst police officials were minimized
and performance improved. I am a suicide
survivor myself and I am talking from
experience” said Thwala convincingly.
Sergeant Phindile Mazibuko who
serves in the Public Order Unit said
she appreciated the fitness initiative because
it geared them up for challenges
in their daily tasks. “Believe me, managing
crowd really requires somebody to
be equal to the task,” said the confident
police officer.
According to the event coordinators the
fitness campaign is growing from strength
to strength. The attendance and interest
has improved tremendously. The participants
will be informed as to where and
when the next sessions will be held.
Allandale cares for the elderly By Louis Reinke
The Allandale correctional officials who are affiliates of the Allandale Social
Club, donated toiletries, face clothes and towels to the value of R 500, to the
Rushof Old Age Home in Paarl East. The hand-over took place on May. The
social club members made the donation out of their good hearts and appreciation
was evident from the glittering faces of the benefiting elders. The officials involved
said they would continue to give out of goodwill because it gives them satisfaction.
Giving is their way of making a difference to people who are less fortunate. Members
on the photo are from L to R; Mr Petrus Titus, Ms Lizette Kulsen (Rushof), Mr
Brendon Abrahams, Allandale Area Commissioner Mr Kosie Sinclair ,Ms Alvira
Kleynhans (Manager Rushof), Mr Jonathan Baartman, Ms Faith Maqolo and Ivan
Petersen. Front sitting row; Mr Roelf Faro, Mr Johan Claasen and Mr Willem van
Rooyen who benefited from the donation.
R E G I O N A L N E W S
Deputy Minister opens Goodwood
Mbombela Sportsfield
By Ofentse Morwane & Jo-ann Christians
Deputy Minister Hlengiwe Mkhize officially opened the Mbombela
Sportsfield at Goodwood Management Area in the Western Cape
region on 20 May 2010 to grant the officials and offenders their
long wish of having a proper sporting facility.
Despite being a new generation correctional
centre, Goodwood never had
any sports and recreation facilities
for either officials or offenders. Offenders
instead used courtyards as sporting grounds
leading to a lot of breakages of windows at
the centre.
Giving her address at the opening, Ms
Mkhize said, “As a department, our approach
to cultivates and maintains a healthy lifestyle
for offenders and officials, through sports
and recreation programs, is premised on the
fact that health is much more than just the
absence of disease. It is for this reason that
we take sports and recreation seriously for
Pumpkin: Mr Tokkie Dempers with the
gigantic pumpkin weighing 97.5kg
sport field underpins the department’s commitment
towards promoting a healthy life
style for both offenders and officials. “Sports
as a rehabilitation tool assist in imparting
skills, instilling discipline, promoting team
work, attainment of physical and mental
health, and teaching offenders to adhere to
rules and principles, not only in sporting activities,
but in life in general.”
The opening of the Mbombela Sports field
also coincided with the 2 days countdown
before the start of the 20 0 Fifa World Cup.
“This facility is correctional services’ contribution
towards the legacy of the 20 0 Fifa
World Cup. It also testifies to our commitment
as government, to not only deliver on
this big dream but to ensure that we build a
lasting legacy for our nation,” declared deputy
minister.
She congratulated the Western Cape region
for being awarded second runner-ups in the
Centre for Public Service Innovations (CPIS)
Awards, in November last year with for the
Mbombela Sports field project.
The name of the soccer field means, “working
together to achieve a common goal.
Among the stakeholders present at the opening
were SAFA representatives and Ajax Cape
Town Management and its youth team.
Allandale reaps a gigantic pumpkin
By Louis Reinke
Western Cape
Regional
Commissioner,
James
Smalberger, Area
Commissioner
Goodwood
Moliehi Sebotsa
and Deputy
Minister
Hlengiwe Mkhize
at the official
opening of
the Mbombela
Sportsfield
at Goodwood
Management
Area
both offenders and officials. The opening of
the sports field further attests to this commitment.
The sports field is a product of various
partnerships,”
“The goal we aspire to is a holistic approach
to offender rehabilitation through key
services such as, correction of the offending
behaviour, care to promote the wellbeing of
the offender, development which involves
education, skills development, recreation
and sport, agriculture and workshops, security
and social reintegration, in line with
our White Paper on Corrections South Africa
2005,” added the deputy minister.
She further said that the construction of the
Ajax Cape Town youth team pictured with
the Deputy Minister, Regional Commissioner
Western Cape and SAFA official.
Mr Tokkie Dempers from the Allandale Management Area could never have
thought that the small seed he held in his hand a couple of months ago, could
grow into a gigantic pumpkin weighing 97.5 kg‘s.
It all started in October last year when he planted the seed at the back of his yard
within the Allandale premises. He had to cover and protect the pumpkin as vegetable
flies wanted to damage the pumpkin. Other diseases were also threatening the pumpkin,
but Tokkie was lucky and the vegetable survived. Tokkie had to feed the pumpkin
daily with different…well says Tokkie: ‘that is a secret. ’
A pumpkin can grow more than 30 centimetres per day and the biggest pumpkin
Tokkie saw weighed just over 300 kilograms. These giant pumpkins are called Atlantic
Giants. Tokkie says now that the members have read the article in the Allandale
Gazette, everyone wants a seed. The question now is why don’t we have a Regional
Competition between the Management Areas and see who can grow the biggest
pumpkin?
MAY/JUNE 20 0 5