The Portfolio Committee on Correctional Services will this week undertake its first oversight visit of the year when it visits several correctional centres in Limpopo Province.
Committee Chairperson Ms Kgomotso Anthea Ramolobeng said the oversight programme will commence on Tuesday at Thohoyandou Correctional Centre.
Ms Ramolobeng said the committee has resolved to conduct as many oversight visits as possible to correctional facilities during the 7th Parliament. To date, the committee has undertaken oversight visits in Gauteng, KwaZulu-Natal, the Eastern Cape and the Western Cape. In line with this approach, Limpopo Province has now been identified as the next province to be visited.
The committee exercises oversight over the Department of Correctional Services (DCS) and the facilities selected for the Limpopo visit were carefully identified to ensure effective oversight of the department’s operations, Ms Ramolobeng emphasised.
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She added that during the visit, the committee will assess various aspects of the correctional system, including facilities housing sentenced male and female offenders, including mothers with babies, as well as remand detainees.
Among the key focus areas will be conditions of detention for both remand and sentenced inmates, the state of infrastructure at correctional centres, rehabilitation and skills development programmes offered to offenders, and the treatment and conditions of female offenders, including mothers and babies. The committee will also follow up on matters raised during previous parliamentary oversight visits.
“This oversight visit will build on the work already undertaken by the committee to monitor conditions on the ground,” Ms Ramolobeng said. “It will provide the committee with a comprehensive view of the different facets of the correctional system over which it exercises oversight.”
The programme for tomorrow is:
09h30 Delegation arrives at Thohoyandou CC
09h40 Welcome and introduction (Delegations from all centres must be present and introduce themselves)
09h45 Tour of the centres
13h00 Lunch
13h30 Briefing session (question/answers).
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