The Department of Correctional Services (DCS) carried out a successful search operation in the early hours of Monday, 16 September 2024. The coordinated operation took place at St Albans Correctional Centre Medium B and was conducted by DCS Emergency Support Team in collaboration with members of the South African Police Service (SAPS). This operation is part of DCS' ongoing efforts to enhance security, ensure safety, and maintain order within its facilities, and it continues to yield significant results.

Several items of contraband and illegal substances were confiscated during the operation. These include, but are not limited to, R4 557.00 in cash, 16 mobile phones, 18 slopes of dagga, and 41 dagga bankies. Such items pose a serious threat to both inmates and officials, and their removal ensures a safer environment for all within the facility.

Notably, this operation also marked the official start of Corrections Week. Following the search, DCS continued its community outreach efforts by providing food to flood victims and children at the Sisonke Sophumelela Centre, located in Zwide, Gqeberha. A profound aspect of this initiative is that correctional officials made personal contributions to assist these communities in distress. In addition, surplus produce from DCS agricultural projects is being donated to the centre.

Corrections Week features a series of activities that allow the department to reflect on its crucial role in promoting a just, peaceful, and safer South Africa. This period also serves as a time to renew collective commitment to the rehabilitation and reintegration of offenders. The correctional system remains an essential pillar within the broader framework of the criminal justice system.

The observance of Corrections Week further strengthens the DCS’s commitment to working alongside community organisations, NGOs, and various stakeholders in building a better South Africa for all.

This week is not merely a celebration but a call to action, reminding us that we all play a role in building a just, compassionate, and inclusive society. It emphasises that corrections is a societal responsibility, where each individual—whether a correctional official, policymaker, community leader, or citizen—has a part to play in shaping a correctional system that reflects the country’s highest values.

Media enquiries: 
Singabakho Nxumalo 
Cell: 079 523 5794 
E-mail: Singabakho.Nxumalo@dcs.gov.za

Call Centre: 0860 000 327 // enquiry.complaints@dcs.gov.za