• Tweet

It's not a guesthouse: Minister Nosiviwe Mapisa- Nqakula PHOTO: VATHISWA RUSELO

 We don't want a child's early memory of her mother to be that of a person in chains 

This was said by Correctional Services Minister Nosiviwe Mapisa-Nqakula yesterday, when she launched the country's first prison mother-and-baby unit at Cape Town's Pollsmoor Prison.

Situated on the prison grounds, but more than a kilometre from the cells housing the rest of the prison population, the unit is a simply but cheerfully decorated house with several bedrooms, bathrooms and a kitchen.

It was renovated by male prisoners from Pollsmoor, who also made the furniture.

The unit will allow female prisoners who give birth while in jail to share proper rooms with their babies for the first time. Until now, babies born in prison had to spent the first two years of their lives in small, cold cells with their mothers in the main female prisoners' block, with little access to fresh air and sunlight.

There are nine mothers with babies set to move into the unit next week, including one, who will give birth in five days time.

The mother, who did not want to be named, said she was looking forward to "drinking coffee on the stoep", though Correctional Services officials warned the female prisoners yesterday that the facility was not a "nice guesthouse".

Mapisa-Nqakula said she was negotiating with another five female prisoners with babies from Oudtshoorn, about 500km away, to move into the new facility.

"The prison system remained unprepared for the rehabilitation needs of women. We don't want a child's early memory of her mother to be that of a person in chains.

"There is no need to punish a child because the mother made a mistake," Mapisa-Nqakula said.

Later this month Westville prison in KwaZulu-Natal, Zonderwater prison in Gauteng and the East London prison will get mother-and-baby units.

But, the mothers won't be able to keep their children for more than two years. Mapisa-Nqakula said prisoners would have to decide on foster families as soon as their children were born.

The foster mother would then visit the mother regularly for the first two years to form a bond with the child.

Comments

• Sign in or sign up to comment

Fri May 24 22:27:18 SAST 2013 ::

Aug 19, 2011

KUKU

Eish - problem. Imagine your child growing in jail...tjerrrr....
Report Abuse

Aug 19, 2011

Poponas

Good idea for the kids,,but the mother a seke a ba too comfy,ke seboshwa klaar,,
Report Abuse

Aug 19, 2011

Whataboutpeace

This is disturbing! The poor child needs a fresh start, why is there no system to cater for the 'rehabilitation needs of women' are we back in the dark ages where woman have no rights?
Report Abuse

Aug 19, 2011

G-ruff

@KUKU
Yes its bad so I think we need to try our level best to stay away from criminal activities.
Report Abuse

Aug 19, 2011

lep-G

A child will become a convict if he o she grew up in prison so i say no matter what u do u are programming the child to be jus like mom..the child wont be afraid of the prison any more..so be it..
Report Abuse

Aug 19, 2011

kadotch

Some kids grow up in jail? 2 year-old will remember something abt jail when he/she is twelve, so i think they should be released b4 that. What do you think?
Report Abuse

Aug 19, 2011

Poponas

I saw them on TV this morning,ba fresh and fat those kids,,Tax ya rona e ba tshwere grand,round of applause for tax-payers,,
Report Abuse

Aug 19, 2011

missguided

The child is indeed the victim in all of this and i commend this programme!my only problem now is that are the mother of these children learning their lesson or does it become ok to commit a crime when you are pregnant cause you know its cushy in prison if you are an expectant mother- ie: you commit a crime @ 7 months u get sentences to 18 months...you spend your entire sentence with your baby in a cushy unit? i dunno thats just my thinking otherwise im all for not punishing the innocent
Report Abuse

Aug 19, 2011

chungu

Guys remember its not bed of roses its just a curtsey for a new born baby,did you read properly Nosiviwe says its not a proper guest house so when doing crime think twice.
Report Abuse

Aug 19, 2011

gigolo

Why are they even having such a facility in the first place? If you want to raise your child just don't commit any crime period, the state should not have to foot a bill for such.
Report Abuse

Read all 17 comments