Justice and Correctional Services Minister, Ronald Lamola, says the department’s Self-sufficiency and Sustainability programme has saved the department more than R100 million during the past financial year.

He was speaking at the release of the programme’s annual report and the launch of an Art Gallery at the Groenpunt Correctional Facility.

The programme aims to give inmates skills they can use when they leave correctional facilities, while also ensuring that the department becomes self-sustainable through activities such as those in facilities’ production workshops, bakeries, agriculture, skills development, formal education and training as well as through arts and culture.

“The DCS Self-Sufficiency and Sustainability Strategic Framework (SSSF) is not only about the department realising savings and relying less on the fiscus, but it goes further towards creating lasting benefits to be enjoyed by inmates post-incarceration.

“The on-demand skills for the market are what we look at when rolling out programmes in our correctional centres. Inmates are being prepared for opportunities where they can be self-employed instead of being jobseekers. All that we ask for is an opportunity where they can demonstrate their worth and commitment to a better life,” he said.

The Minister said that the department’s farms created a saving of at least R115 million for the 2021/22 financial year.

“The projected saving of R163 million for the current financial year must be realised, we must show South Africans that we mean business with self-sufficiency.

“We are happy that the first annual report on self-sufficiency and strategic framework has been produced, let this lead to the department exceeding what was accomplished in this report. Work hard to achieve more, let us resolve some of the budgetary constraints through our own initiatives,” he said. 

Source: South African Government News Agency