Cape Town - The Department of Correctional Services has blamed the delays in filling outstanding vacancies on its 52 parole boards on processes outside its control, such as the vetting of candidates by other departments.
Briefing the justice and correctional services portfolio committee, chief deputy commissioner Kenneth Mthombeni said there were 46 vacancies on the Correctional Supervision Parole Boards.
Mothombeni said there were nine vacant chairperson posts, 12 for vice-chairperson positions and 25 for community members on the boards in management areas throughout the country.
The Western Cape has two vacant posts for chairpersons, three for vice-chairpersons and eight posts for community members on its Correctional Supervision Parole Boards.
A presentation made to the committee showed that all contracts for chairperson posts have expired and the officials who were filling the posts were on extended contracts.
“Interviews were finalised on 18 August 20222. Appointments are pending the outcome of the vetting results, in particular matric results.”
This also applied to the positions for vice chairperson and community member positions.
In KwaZulu-Natal, three chairperson posts were vacant and one is still to be filled for one vice chairperson.
“Recruitment process finalized awaiting vetting of matric confirmation to finalise appointment,” reads the document.
Posts were to be re-advertised after no suitable candidates for the chairperson post in Gauteng’s Kgosi Mampuru and vice chairperson in Baviaanspoort.
Recruitment process was finalised awaiting vetting for the vice-chairperson in the Moderbee parole board and six vacant posts for community members in the province.
Mthombeni said the appointment of the new Medical Parole Advisory Board has been finalized and the term of the new board will commence on June 1.
However, he said a process had been initiated to appoint a third judge after consulting with Chief Justice Raymond Zondo.
A letter had been sent to the SAPS national commissioner to nominate a person after the police representative retired.
Mthombeni said the department was reviewing the appointment regime of the Correctional Service Parole Board after it received some complaints.
“The department is considering extending the three-year contract period to five years to create stability,” he said.
Asked why they had so many vacancies and why they did not advertise before posts on time, correctional services national commissioner Makgothi Thobakgale said the vetting of the members of the parole boards was not in their hands.
“Our own regions take time to advertise positions. We are monitoring every post that gets vacant,” Thobakgale said.
Committee chairperson Bulelani Magwanishe said it would be important for the department to meet with the State Security Agency to expedite the vetting process because they added to the delays by the department.
“I would recommend that the Deputy Minister and national commissioner engage with the Department of Education to find a way of expediting all requests for qualification (verification) and other institutions that do verifications.
“There has to be engagements that result in a particular dispensation to assist your processes to move faster,” Magwanishe said.
Meanwhile, Mthombeni said the department received 298 grievances, 171 were finalised and 127 were pending as at the end of March 2022-23.
There were 873 disciplinary cases, 553 were finalised and 319 are underway.
There were 149 officials that were suspended and 66 have had their suspensions lifted.
The suspensions come at a cost of R6 225 639.
According to Mthombeni, the grievances were high in the Western Cape and Gauteng at 66 and 60 respectively while the disciplinary hearings were mainly in Eastern Cape and Gauteng with 131 and 184 cases reported.
He also said the department measures in place by training their officials on management of grievances, the code of conduct and work-shopping women and youth on issues of misconduct.
Thobakgale noted that due to the suspensions, they have to appoint other officials in acting positions and that suspended individuals were returned to work, if they would not interfere with disciplinary proceedings.
“We would do better if our members did not engage in activities leading to suspension and disciplinary processes,” he said.
Cape Times