The Department of Correctional Services Department was accused by a prisons rights group on Friday of diverting R800-million from a prison-building project promised by the government about four years ago.
The South African Prisoners’ Organisation for Human Rights (Sapohr) delivered a memorandum of demands to the department in Pretoria, urging it to explain when it will start building four new-generation prisons in Nigel, Leeuwkop, Klerksdorp and Kimberley.
The department has diverted R800-million from R1,2-billion allocated to building new prisons and used it to upgrade existing prisons at inflated prices, said Sapohr president Golden Miles Bhudu to the crowd of marchers gathered outside the department.
Bhudu alleged prisons commissioner Linda Mti approved the diverting of funds, which are now earmarked for buying television sets and fencing and access control at the country’s existing prisons.
It was further alleged that Mti and other high-ranking department officials stand to gain from the awarded tenders as they are directly involved in the companies to which the tenders have been awarded.
”Building these prisons in the four communities would create jobs. The diverting of these funds has only increased corruption,” said Bhudu.
The marchers carried placards reading ”Where is money Mr Mti?”, ”Bribery is crime” and ”We want jobs!”.
The memorandum was accepted on behalf of the department by deputy commissioner of IT Jack Shilubane.
Earlier in the day a departmental spokesperson said Sapohr was mistaken as the building of the four prisons was already under way. — Sapa