A reply to a DA parliamentary question has revealed that the Department of Correctional Services (DCS) spent R527 000 on two full page newspaper adverts in the City Press and Sunday Times newspapers, which advertised nothing more than the Minister's 2009 budget vote speech in Parliament. So far as the DA can ascertain, the DCS was the only department to run adverts of this type. The same reply confirms that the Department overspent its budget by R483 million in the 2008/09 financial year.

A copy of the reply follows below.

The reply confirms that the DCS spent:

• R187 000 on an advert in the City Press; and
• R340 000 on an advert in the Sunday Times.

It is an indictment of the department that, in spite of the fact that its own budget is already overspent by R500 million, it saw fit to pay a substantial amount of money for two adverts that constituted nothing more than promotional fluff for the Minister.

In justifying the DCS's decision to run the adverts, its reply states: "To ensure that opinion makers, stakeholders and ordinary citizens are better informed about [the DCS's] crucial programmes, it was necessary for the department to place these advertorials".

That explanation, however, does not hold muster for three reasons:

• First, it is the responsibility of the Government Communications and Information Systems (GCIS) to ensure that the government's message is properly communicated to the South African public. For this it has a dedicated staff and a substantial salary. The DCS's budget is there to ensure South Africa's prisoners are securely housed and properly rehabilitated.
• Second, the fact that the adverts were placed in only two newspapers suggests that this had nothing to do with real communication and everything to do with promoting the Minister's speech.
• Third, the financial situation the DCS finds itself in means it needs to practice prudence, not extravagance. This expenditure comes against the backdrop of other wasteful expenditure, the least of which are the huge amounts spent on renting property for DCS officials while official state residences stand empty.

One of the biggest challenges facing the Minister is cutting back on wasteful expenditure in the DCS, her decision to approve these adverts, however, suggests she has started on the wrong track.

FOR WRITTEN REPLY

QUESTION NO: 458

QUESTION PAPER NO 6: 10 JULY 2009

DATE SUBMITTED: 12 AUGUST 2009 

MR J SELFE (DA) TO ASK THE MINISTER OF CORRECTIONAL SERVICES

(1) Whether her department overspent its budget in the 2008-09 financial year; if so, (a) by what amount and (b) what has been the implications for the delivery of services;

(2) Whether her department placed advertisements in weekend newspapers (details furnished); if so, (a) in which newspapers, (b) at what cost and (c) for what purpose?

NW519E

REPLY

Yes, the department did overspend its budget in the 2008/09 financial year.

(a) R483, 821 million. 

(b) The over-expenditure mainly resulted from payment of overtime to correctional officials in line with the implementation of the Public Service Coordinating Bargaining Council Resolution number 1 of 2007. There were no negative implications on service delivery.

(2) Yes, the department did place an advertorial in two national newspapers following the budget vote speech delivery. 

(a) The City Press and Sunday Times.

(b) The costs were R187 000 for the City Press and R340 000 for the Sunday Times.

(c) Correctional Services is obligated to inform the stakeholders and the public particularly, on the department's planned use of the allocated budget of over R47 billion over the three years of the Medium Term Expenditure Framework.  It is a handful of people that was able to listen to the Minister's tabulation of how the allocated budget would be used to improve the efficacy of the corrections system and to reduce re-offending rates.  To ensure that opinion makers, stakeholders and ordinary citizens are better informed about these crucial programmes, it was necessary for the department to place these advertorials.  The value of further debates on the Minister and Deputy Minister's plans for the use of the allocated R47 billion over three years in and outside of government cannot be compared with the costs of the advertorials outlined in this brief.

Statement issued by James Selfe, MP, Democratic Alliance shadow minister of correctional services, August 13 2009

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