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R9.6bn to keep prisoners behind bars

It has cost the Department of Correctional Services R9.8bn to keep prisoners behind bars as well as monitor those on parole in the past five months, a committee in Parliament was told on Wednesday.

This is 47.9% of the department's budget of R20.6bn, and leaves R10.7bn for the rest of the 2014/15 financial year.

Incarceration alone cost R6.5bn, with R335m underspent due to 2 066 vacancies in the department. 

At least R63m was overspent because the department had to get a contract for a “nutritional service” because the Department of Public Works could not fix dysfunctional boilers.

The department also spent R75m on fleet services - higher than the original plan of R45m - because of the high number of vehicle repairs needed on the department's ageing fleet.

According to its annual report for 2014/15 the department had 243 correctional facilities.

 

 

 

News24

 

 

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