The Portfolio Committee on Correctional Services is on a week-long oversight visit in the Eastern and Western Cape. It began its programme today with a walkabout of the Mthatha Correctional Facility in Mthatha.
The committee visited the prison’s female remand centre, kitchens, clinics, library, the dairy and more but also noted that the newly appointed regional commissioner would not be attending the meeting.
The committee Chairperson, Ms Kgomotso Anthea Ramolobeng, urged officials to focus on their areas of responsibility to enable the committee to make observations based on factual information about the Mthatha Centre.
She said: “We want to be an action-oriented committee; we do not want to be a complaining committee. We will make recommendations of what needs to be fixed in the centre.” She highlighted issues requiring urgent attention, including the issue of one woman who has been on remand since 2017 without ever attending a trial.
“This is a matter that needs attention and there are other similar situations. The issue of the kitchen facilities needs attention. One kitchen has non-functioning stoves and that facility is not compliant with the health and safety standards. There are dilapidated kitchen roofs; that poses threat to the inmates.”
The committee then moved to the Mqanduli Correctional Centre later in the day.
Among other things, the week-long oversight visit is intended to assess:
- Skills programmes provided to offenders
- Conditions of detention for both remand and sentenced inmates
- Treatment offenders who are mothers
- Overall infrastructure of correctional centres
On Wednesday, the committee will visit East London Correctional Centre.
Sibongile Maputi
7 October 2025
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