Ronald Lamola, Minister of Justice and Correctional Services, admitted in reply to a parliamentary question in the National Council of Provinces (NCOP) that the Department of Correctional Services (DCS) has been dragging its feet for nearly three years to start repair work on the Potchefstroom Prison after a section of it was damaged in a fire in 2020.
A contractor to do the repair work was only appointed in March of this year and according to the Minister, the project is expected to be completed by March 2025.
The fire damaged twelve cells and 386 prisoners awaiting trial had to be transferred to alternative detention facilities. A large number of these prisoners were transferred to the police holding cells in Potchefstroom and nearby towns, Stilfontein and Klerksdorp.
At present, 84 of these awaiting-trial prisoners are still being detained in police cells, which puts immense pressure on the police’s manpower and resources. It is no secret that the police force has been suffering from a lack of personnel and operational resources for quite some time.
This situation is totally unacceptable. In the first place, keeping prisoners in custody is not the police’s responsibility, and in the second place, it is a disgrace that scarce police resources meant to ensure residents’ safety are now being used for correctional detention.
It is clear that the ANC government is utterly unable to govern professionally and effectively. The FF Plus will keep fighting for an effective government that puts the needs and safety of residents first.
South Africa deserves better than the ANC.
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