The Department of Correctional Services on Sunday dismissed reports that plans for the construction of four new prisons had collapsed as ”incorrect and sensational”.
Spokesperson Manelisi Wolela said delays in the construction of four new-generation correctional centres were due to factors beyond the department’s control.
On Sunday, City Press newspaper reported that funds meant to build four new prisons were partially reallocated to refurbish existing facilities.
Information that the funds had been rechannelled was never presented to Parliament and does not appear in the national expenditure trend documents tabled by Minister of Finance Trevor Manuel in Parliament, the paper said.
Wolela said using the department’s capital budget for other ”priority” infrastructure projects was discussed and agreed to with responsible national departments before implementation.
One of these was installing ”state-of-the-art” security fencing in 66 correctional centres.
He said reasons for the delays and resultant cost escalation were that building-industry responses to calls for tenders proved beyond the available budget and an environmental impact assessment at the Leeukop construction site was not finalised.
The construction was planned in 2005 and was due for completion only after two years in Kimberley, Nigel, Klerksdorp and Leeuwkop with bulk earthworks already done in all sites but Klerksdorp.
At least three Cabinet ministers — Manuel, Minister of Safety and Security Charles Nqakula and Minister of Public Works Stella Sigcau — told Parliament last year that construction would start in June 2005 and was scheduled to be completed by March this year.
The Treasury allocated R1,2-billion to build the new jails.
Wolela added that according to the department’s strategic plan, which was submitted to the portfolio committee, construction of the second group of the four centres is expected to commence in the 2008/09 financial year.
”The building of these facilities will be handled in a staggered way in order to avoid clogging the currently over-demanded building industry and to ensure value for money,” he explained.
He said a minimum period for construction of a conventional correctional centre is two years and therefore no construction can be completed in nine months as reflected in the ”inaccurate” earlier reports.
The parliamentary prisons portfolio committee earlier said it would probe the reported ”rechannelling” of funds.
”As a portfolio committee we will call the Department [of Correctional Services] to explain to us this allegation … this revelation that is in the newspaper. As a committee we don’t know about this ‘channelling’ of funds,” Dennis Bloem said of the report.
Bloem said his committee is scheduled to meet on Friday to discuss the department’s 2006/07 budget and will then decide when to call the prison service to explain the report. — Sapa