Question no

QUESTION 843

DATE OF PUBLICATION: Friday, 30 May 2008

INTERNAL QUESTION PAPER NO 15 of 2008

Mr M H Hoosen (ID) to ask the Minister of Home Affairs:
(1) What (a) is the total number of refugee applications pending and (b) steps are being taken to address the backlog;
(2) how many applications have been (a) approved and (b) rejected in the past financial year;

3. 
   whether her department receives any revenue to support refugees; if so, (a) from whom and (b) what amounts have been received?
   

NW1531E

REPLY
(1)(a) A total number of 89 584 refugee applications were pending as on 31 March 2008.

However, not all of these constitute a backlog, but are pending applications which are being dealt with, at our permanent office.

(1)(b) The Department of Home Affairs implemented the Refugee Backlog Project to address the pending asylum applications and refugee applications which were submitted before 1 July 2005. This project ended in February 2008, and all applications for political asylum, which were lodged before 1 July 2005, have successfully been dealt with by the Backlog Project. Cases which were not finalised are cases where the applicants appealed against the decisions of the Refugee Status Determination Officers. The backlog project was successful, and it has, now, been closed.
Applications are, currently, being dealt with by the five permanent Refugee Reception Offices, following the appointment of 190 additional staff members (between the five centres), in addition to the existing staff members. The newly appointed Centre Managers, Operations Managers, Refugee Status Determination Managers, and Refugee Reception Managers will ensure that applications for asylum and refugee status are being dealt with swiftly and responsibly.
To improve efficiency, the Department has identified the status determination process of asylum seekers and refugees, as one of the Department’s priorities, within the Turnaround Project. The Department is currently piloting the “Refugee and Deportation (RaD) Integrated System in this regard.
(2)(a) A total of 1617 applications were approved during the past financial year (2007/08) – i.e refugee status was granted in terms of section 24 of the Refugees Act, 1998 (Act No 130 of 1998).
(b) A total number of 5661 applications were rejected during the 2007/08 financial year.
(3) (a) & (b) No.

QUESTION NO: 844
MR, I E JENNER (ID) TO ASK THE MINISTER OF CORRECTIONAL SERVICES:

(1) Whether he has been informed of the contents of the report by the Special Investigating Unit (SIU) (details furnished); if so,

(2) What steps are being taken to eliminate the crimes and malpractice allegedly committed within the Department of Correctional Services by members of the staff?

(3) Whether any steps are being taken to discipline and/or dismiss those staff members; if not, why not; if so, what are the relevant details?

REPLY

1. 
   Yes
   

2. 
   DCS has three-pronged Anti- Corruption Strategy aimed at fighting corruption through investigation of fraud and corruption. This was adopted in 2003 and is in compliance with the Cabinet‘s minimum anti- corruption capacity requirement. With the adoption of this strategy, specialized components were introduced, namely, the Departmental Investigation Unit (DIU) and the Code Enforcement Unit (CEU), solely with the mandate to investigate and discipline on the cases relating to fraud, corruption, theft and serious maladministration. The said mandate is provided for in terms of section 95 of the Correctional Services Act 111 of 1998 as amended. These structures must be understood in the context of Minimum Anti- Corruption Capacity requirements.
   

1. 
   Investigation
   

The department has put in place safe reporting mechanisms to enable all officials to report crime or malpractice committed within the Department of Correctional Services by members of staff. The Department has a case information management system to record all the reported cases. The cases are investigated by the DIU. The cases with substance are referred to Code Enforcement for disciplinary hearing. The cases with no substance are closed. In the previous financial year, 56 members were subjected to disciplinary process. The conviction rate in this regard was 96, 4 %.

In this financial year, we have planned to increase the investigative capacity by providing basic investigative training course to 500 Correctional officers at management area level to enable them to conduct preliminary investigation on malpractices confronting the department at that level. The course is due to start around the 23^rd of June 2008.

2. 
   Ethics and anti-corruption awareness training
   

In the preceding financial year, over 1500 officials have been trained on ethics throughout the DCS. All the members of the SMS were trained on ethics management during 2006/7 financial year. The training was accomplished through partnership with SAMDI.

The afore stated intervention enhanced the officials’ level of awareness on the anti-corruption mechanisms available in the DCS and encouraged ethical behavior amongst members of staff as well as with regard to interaction with inmates. The effort will contribute toward harnessing the organizational culture.

(3) With regard to the medical aid fraud, the Department received copies of 120 investigations from the Directorate of Special Operations (Scorpions) all these members were subjected to disciplinary hearings, as the department is not in possession of the investigations against the other members an opportunity was granted to members to voluntary come forward and all in all 232 members were disciplined and got final written warnings on condition that the money they received should be repaid. They have signed admissions of debt to the amount of R6 354 100.00

With regard to the cases mentioned by Mr. Davids of the SIU the following:

• 
  Feasibility study, the official who approved this process resigned from the Department before the investigation was forwarded to the department.
  
• 
  The second case study investigation report is still with the SIU and investigation is at an advanced stage.
  
• 
  The third case study involved no DCS officials. The concerned service provider has been arrested and the matter is being handled further by the SAPS.
  
• 
  Fourth case study concerning undisclosed business interest:
  

DCS received 9 investigations. The internal disciplinary procedure requires that implicated persons must be afforded the opportunity to state their side of the story before any investigation can be regarded as concluded. That has been concluded with regard to 4 of the 9 cases. The disciplinary process is under way. The other 5 investigations were received recently and they are being analyzed by the Departmental investigators to conclude the internal process for compliance with the disciplinary procedure, where after they will be referred for disciplinary hearing.

QUESTION NO: 845

MR, I E JENNER (ID) TO ASK THE MINISTER OF CORRECTIONAL SERVICES:

1. 
   How many prisons are currently overcrowded, (b) which ones are overcrowded, (c) by what (i) numbers and (ii) percentage is each overcrowded, (d) what steps are being taken to alleviate this situation and (e) what are the results of such steps?
   

REPLY:
(a) In terms of the latest certified information 173 correctional facilities exceeds the approved capacity.
(b),(c)(i)(ii) The table below indicates all the correctional facilities that exceeds their approved capacity with detailed information with regard to numbers and percentages.

APPROVED ACCOMMODATION VERSUS OFFENDER POPULATION AND OCCUPANCY LEVELS PER CORRECTIONAL CENTRE AS ON 31 MARCH 2008
Correctional Centres	Capacity	ATD’s	Sentenced	In Custody Total	% Occupation
STANDERTON MED. A CORRCENT	265	181	85	266	100.38%
ESHOWE CORRCENT	507	184	328	512	100.99%
OUDTSHOORN MED. B CORRCENT	79	13	67	80	101.27%
BARBERTON FARM MED. A CORRCENT	137	0	139	139	101.46%
POLLSMOOR MED. C CORRCENT	574	0	585	585	101.92%
DURBAN JUVENILE CORRCENT	629	226	421	647	102.86%
SEVONTEIN CORRCENT	842	0	868	868	103.09%
WORCESTER FEMALE CORRCENT	142	9	138	147	103.52%
SOMERSET EAST CORRCENT	77	0	80	80	103.90%
PATENSIE CORRCENT	353	0	368	368	104.25%
FICKSBURG CORRCENT	77	12	69	81	105.19%
SENEKAL CORRCENT	134	46	95	141	105.22%
RUSTENBURG CORRCENT	630	69	594	663	105.24%
DE AAR CORRCENT	297	64	249	313	105.39%
RICHMOND CORRCENT	43	5	41	46	106.98%
PIETERMARITZBURG CORRCENT	2499	1425	1252	2677	107.12%
UTRECHT CORRCENT	41	6	38	44	107.32%
PORT ELIZABETH CORRCENT	624	174	503	677	108.49%
LICHTENBURG CORRCENT	291	0	319	319	109.62%
BURGERSDORP CORRCENT	197	70	146	216	109.64%
VICTORIA WEST CORRCENT	69	22	54	76	110.14%
GLENCOE CORRCENT	669	2	735	737	110.16%
VOORBERG MED. B CORRCENT	1560	129	1602	1731	110.96%
DWARSRIVIER CORRCENT	236	0	262	262	111.02%
CRADOCK CORRCENT	245	51	223	274	111.84%
TABANKULU CORRCENT	100	27	85	112	112.00%
HEILBRON CORRCENT	58	33	32	65	112.07%
NEW HANOVER CORRCENT	222	25	224	249	112.16%
WITBANK CORRCENT	1278	257	1177	1434	112.21%
GOODWOOD CORRCENT	2115	1382	1003	2385	112.77%
KROONSTAD MED. B CORRCENT	535	534	70	604	112.90%
BERGVILLE CORRCENT	31	0	35	35	112.90%
MOUNT FLETCHER CORRCENT	122	27	112	139	113.93%
MODIMOLLE CORRCENT	341	0	389	389	114.08%
GROENPUNT MED. CORRCENT	739	0	857	857	115.97%
SADA CORRCENT	261	94	209	303	116.09%
BARBERTON FARM MED. B CORRCENT	631	0	734	734	116.32%
CAROLINA CORRCENT	102	20	99	119	116.67%
BOKSBURG JUVENILE CORRCENT	274	0	320	320	116.79%
FAURESMITH CORRCENT	57	18	49	67	117.54%
BUTTERWORTH CORRCENT	136	12	151	163	119.85%
WATERVAL MED. A CORRCENT	603	0	723	723	119.90%
NONGOMA CORRCENT	65	0	78	78	120.00%
LINDLEY CORRCENT	50	21	39	60	120.00%
ROOIGROND MED. B CORRCENT	266	0	324	324	121.80%
GROOTVLEI MED. CORRCENT	266	0	324	324	121.80%
COFIMVABA CORRCENT	55	0	67	67	121.82%
MELMOTH CORRCENT	50	6	55	61	122.00%
KURUMAN CORRCENT	307	147	228	375	122.15%
PIET RETIEF CORRCENT	261	116	207	323	123.75%
DURBAN MED. C CORRCENT	671	0	831	831	123.85%
TZANEEN CORRCENT	67	0	84	84	125.37%
FLAGSTAFF CORRCENT	31	21	18	39	125.81%
DRAKENSTEIN MED. B JUVENILE	474	0	600	600	126.58%
MALMESBURY MED. A CORRCENT	1010	102	1182	1284	127.13%
LEEUWKOP JUVENILE CORRCENT	723	1	929	930	128.63%