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Acting National Commissioner of Correctional Services, Zach Modise, says the special National Task Team deployed in St Albans on a clean-up and security operation has made good progress. Mr Modise said this after a briefing by the National Task Team and the Regional Management Committee of the Eastern Cape during his whistle-stop at St Albans Management Areas on Monday.
Mr Modise said the National Task Team supported by 150 Emergency Support Team (EST) members from five regions has combed the management areas that experienced recurring incidents of violence, stabbing of officials and smuggling of contraband and confiscated numerous illegal items that included cell-phones, makeshift knives, clothes and cash. Items confiscated include: 387 cellphones, 131 sharpened objects and knives, three-bags of dagga, 152 tablets of illegal drugs and cash amounting to R7 980.00. In addition over four truck-loads of refuse and dirt was removed from the facility. He said these helped in restoring order and the requisite levels of cleanliness.
The deployment of the National Task Team followed recurring incidents of violent attacks on 12 officials and 16 officials stabbed since January 2013 and July 2014 and a series of gang related incidents. The management area also experienced high levels of overcrowding across its three centres ranging from 3% to 187% more than the approved housing capacity. Acting Commissioner Modise said the Department has begun with interventions aimed at ensuring safe custody, stability and reduced overcrowding at St Albans Management Area. One-hundred and ninety five (195) inmates have since been transferred to the following correctional centres: Patensie in the Eastern Cape, Tswelopele in in Kimberly, Mangaung in Bleomfontein, as well as Leeuwkop and Johannesburg in Gauteng. The transfers coupled with other normal processes, have reduced levels of overcrowding in St Albans by 8.3%, from 71% to 62%. "More transfers will be implemented going forward to ensure that levels of overcrowding are reduced to acceptable levels', said Mr Modise.
Acting National Commissioner Modise said other interventions underway to address challenges of the facility include the acceleration of recruitment of managers and staff to fill about 9% vacancies, which will enable various management structures to function optimally including the Case Management Committees responsible for processing parole placement of deserving offenders. Commissioner Modise said correctional service will strengthen collaboration with the South African Police Services and other partners in the Criminal Justice Cluster and Intelligence Community to ensure that Security Standards and Compliance are stepped up including daily searches of cells as well as incoming officials and offenders.
