IOL News reports that the Police and Prisons Civil Rights Union (Popcru) has welcomed the appointment of Freedom Front Plus leader Pieter Groenewald as the new Department of Correctional Services (DCS) Minister.

Popcru, which represents thousands of police officers and prison warders, emphasised the urgent need for a capable, ethical, and efficient leadership to address the deep-rooted challenges facing the DCS. The union highlighted the critical issues of overcrowding and understaffing within correctional facilities. The current staffing levels have dropped from 40,000 in 2009 to 38,000, with only 27,000 officers actively working in correctional centres, Popcru bemoaned. The union called for the immediate hiring of additional custodial officers to mitigate these problems, which compromised the safety and effectiveness of the correctional system. A key concern for Popcru is the role of private prisons in the correctional system and it strongly opposes the renewal of contracts for private prisons and advocates for a clear plan to wind down these contracts. The union urged the new minister to expedite the process of absorbing personnel from private prisons into the DCS. Popcru insisted that the DCS must undertake several urgent measures such as prioritising promotion policies and shift systems to improve staff morale and efficiency, constructing correctional centres in rural areas to enhance self-sufficiency and accessibility, employing additional personnel to ensure the smooth operation of facilities, and refurbishing dilapidated infrastructure to create a safer and more conducive environment for both inmates and staff.

• Read the full original of the report in the above regard by Christopher Buda at IOL News

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