Since April 2024, 1 003 learners were permanently appointed and integrated into the Performance Management and Development Systems (PMDS) processes of the Department of Correctional Services as part of efforts to strengthen security and enhance service delivery in correctional facilities.

These new staff members are considered to be under probation until they complete a period of 12 months for them to be under a full performance assessment.

This is according to the Minister of Correctional Services, Dr Pieter Groenewald, who was answering a parliamentary question posed by Busaphi Eleonor Machi of the Inkatha Freedom Party. He said there is a “Monitoring and Evaluation Framework” in place, which intends to track the performance of newly appointed officials. Phase One, the “Orientation and Induction into the Correctional Environment,” is in line with “the five core programmes of the DCS upon commencement of duties.” These are Administration, Rehabilitation, Care, Incarceration and Social integration.

This is followed by “Phase two, Provision of Job Description and Workplan,” which outlines key responsibility areas for each official in their respective position. “The new employee enters into a written agreement with his/her supervisee.”

Phase three, the “Compiling and signing of the Personal Development Plan,” identifies areas of training the newly appointed official requires, with the training needs registered in their respective “Personal Development Plan and submitted to Human Resource Department for scheduling of training to ensure continuous and regular improvements and developments.”

Tracking performance is through formal mid-term assessments, aimed at the “monitoring of performance after the newly appointed official has been working in their position for a period of 6 months. The employee is assessed according to their key performance areas and awarded a score reflecting partially effective, fully effective and highly effective.”

In scenarios where newly appointed officials are underperforming, “measures are implemented to address the [underperformance].” Phase four commences with an improved plan “implemented to address underperformance of an official and is done within 6 months which ensures continuous tracking of performance.”

Phase five sees the “final assessment at the end of the financial year, of an official’s performance in relation to their key responsibility areas is conducted after 12 months, whereby any areas identified during the mid-term that require improvement are assessed utilising the improvement plan developed during mid-term.”

Dr Groenewald further noted officials are awarded a final assessment score based on “their level of effectiveness (partially, fully and highly).”

By ensuring a return in investment, “employees are required to sign a personal development plan (PDP) as part of their performance agreement which serves to identify any performance output shortfall in the work of the employee, either historical or anticipated.”

The PDP includes intervention strategies relating to technical and occupational “hard skills “of the job, through appropriate training, on-the-job training or an expanded job exposure. All this is to ensure their training “yields positive outcomes for the department’s objectives.”

“Prior to the placement of the 1 003 newly appointed officials an analysis by centre management of vacant critical positions within the correctional environment was conducted to ensure the effective utilization of newly appointed officials,” noted Dr Groenewald.

Critical security and corrections posts which were vacant, were then prioritised to address staff shortages, with the intent to “yield the full benefit of the additional staff to ensure achievement of strategic outcomes of the department.”

“Newly appointed officials function in positions in relation to the core focus areas of the DCS which includes case management, case officers, custodial/security officials, internal and external security which aims to enhance security and rehabilitation within the correctional environment,” said Groenewald.