So the garrulous gaffe-prone Ngconde Balfour is at it again.

So the garrulous gaffe-prone Ngconde Balfour is at it again.

Our esteemed minister of correctional services was swept away by emotion at a party for kids whose mothers are serving jail terms at his digs. Seems he wants to get rid of the mothers and their kids.

"It is important that the regional correctional services management consider awarding more sentence conversions for mothers with children," he told the assembled jailbirds and their tots.

Bunkum, Mr Minister.

Let the courts decide how long we should incarcerate offenders, good sir. You and yours need just keep these perpetrators behind bars for the duration of their sentences, something we notice you struggle to do.

No, the children did not commit the crime and should not be serving time. And our society has failed to get that right.

But this is a tough world and the consequences of many a parent's failure is visited on the kids. Same here.

What kind of mother does not consider her child's fate before she first sets out to offend against society? You blew it, mother dear, and we, as a society, must look after your kids until you have paid your debt to us all.

Don't wake up now and wail about the injustice of visiting the parents' sins on their offspring. Only a sociopath would not have thought about that before committing the crime.