Leaderless department of correctional services needs urgent intervention – Cope
The party wants an interim leadership appointed at the DCS with all the implicated officials suspended.
PRETORIA, SOUTH AFRICA – MARCH 23: Minister of Justice and Correctional Services, Adv. Michael Masutha during the official launch of the ‘Gallows Exhumation Project’ on March 23, 2016 at the Kgosi Mampuru II Correctional Centre (Gallows Museum) in Pretoria, South Africa. A total of 130 political prisoners were hanged on the gallows of the correctional centre between 1960 and 1990, 47 human remains of these prisoners have been exhumed while 83 of them remain buried in unmarked graves. (Photo by Gallo Images / Beeld / Lisa Hnatowicz)
Congress of the People has appealed for urgent intervention at the department of correctional services (DCS) from President Cyril Ramaphosa before the department collapses.
The request comes after Correctional Services Minister Michael Masutha detailed how he spent a weekend at a property belonging to controversial Bosasa CEO Gavin Watson in 2016.
Masutha was responding to questions from DA MP Glynnis Breytenbach at a meeting to discuss the department’s plans to terminate contracts with Bosasa after the company entered into voluntary liquidation.
Cope issued a statement calling for Ramaphosa to rescue the department, which was in a clear state of anarchy.
“The department is leaderless and the entire leadership is implicated in the Bosasa corruption scandal; the minister, deputy minister [Thabang Makwetla], and senior DCS officials are all implicated,” read the statement.
“The latest revelations against Minister Michael Masutha are extremely disturbing; it is now in the public eye that Masutha spent a weekend at the house of Bosasa owner, Gavin Watson, in the Eastern Cape, and also had a meeting with Watson discussing Bosasa contracts at DCS.”
Cope reportedly found it highly concerning that DCS officials were still working and not suspended.
Deputy Minister Makwetla, along with other senior officials, were implicated by former Bosasa COO Angelo Agrizzi during his testimony at the Zondo commission of inquiry into state capture.
“Agrizzi named and implicated more senior DCS officials who were on the payroll of Bosasa and made sure they [kept] the corrupt Bosasa contracts alive.”
The integrity of the DCS is at stake, according to the party, who also want Ramaphosa to appoint an interim DCS leadership before suspending Masutha and Makwetla, alongside all those implicated in the corruption scandal.
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