18th February 2009 

The Inkatha Freedom Party has taken note of a statement released by Minister Ngconde Balfour recently, lambasting the Chairperson of the Portfolio Committee of Correctional Services, Dennis Bloem, for suggesting that there should be a Commission of Enquiry into the Department's controversial nutrition tender.

"We find the Minister's reaction to this issue very strange to say the least. Mr Bloem and I have both, on separate occasions, called for the establishment of a commission of enquiry to probe allegations of corruption relating to the BOSASA group. We are in no way pointing fingers at the Minster, but clearly there is a need for a full investigation into this matter," said Sybil Seaton, the IFP's Correctional Services Spokesperson.

The IFP also denounces claims made in the statement that a commission of enquiry is a direct onslaught against Minister Balfour. Furthermore, suggestions that Mr Bloem has a gross misunderstanding of the basic tenets of our constitutional democracy, because he dares to have suggested that the Portfolio Committee should have been consulted before finalisation of the nutrition tender, is troubling.

"It is extremely worrying that we need to remind the Department of Correctional Services that the executive must account to Parliament for its actions and policies . That is the basic fundamental of a constitutional democracy. We support Mr Bloem's claims that the committee did, on several occasions, request the Department to report on the nutrition tender and various other matters which have gone unheeded. Therefore, the suggestion that Mr. Bloem did not approach the Department for a briefing on this matter is wholly false," said Seaton.

The IFP further notes that the Department's National Commissioner, Xoliswa Sibeko has requested the independent Special Investigating Unit (SIU) to do a quick evaluation and auditing of the recently finalised nutrition tender. 

"While we welcome that SIU's efforts, a QUICK investigation is surely not going to get to the root cause of corruption within the Department. In spite of endless seminars, new policies and plans, corruption has become endemic with the Department of Correctional Services and that is why the IFP has called for a full Commission of Enquiry to expose and eliminate the rogue elements within the Department," concluded Seaton.

Contact:
Sybil Seaton MP,             083 412 0075 or
Liezl van der Merwe,         083 611 7470.