Correctional Services advertises 380 critical vacancies today

25 Jul 2010

The Department of Correctional Services has lifted a two year moratorium
on filling of vacancies by advertising 380 critical vacancies today, 25
July 2010.

The advertisement of the vacancies is a first and major step towards
addressing vacancies in the Department of Correctional Services
following the lifiting of the moratorium instituted about two years ago
to address rocketing personnel expenditure and to prevent unmanaged over
expenditure emanating from essentially the implementation of the
Occupation Specific Dispensation (OSD) for correctional officials.

Due to the OSD related budget pressures the department overspent its
budget in the 2008/09 financial year by nearly half an billion rands.
The 380 posts are advertised in three Sunday newspapers and on the
departmental website http://www.dcs.gov.za as well as on the public
Service and Administration website http://www.dpsa.gov.za.

Correctional Services National Commissioner, Mr Tom Moyane says funds
for the filling of essentially supervisory, middle management and
professional positions were sourced from the natural attrition of staff
in the department. He said annually the Department of Correctional
Services loses an average of 1 200 staff members due to terminations
that include resignations, deaths or dismissals. In total Correctional
Services' approved establishment has 41 500 posts and currently has a
staff complement of 40 676, showing a two percent vacancy rate.

Commissioner Moyane said "the post advertisements carried in this
weekend's newspapers are just a beginning of a sustained effort to
ensure that Correctional Services has appropriate human resources to
deliver on its services delivery targets."Among the key senior positions
to be filled are medical doctors, pyschologists, nurses and Heads of
Correctional Centres. About R70 million will be used to fill these
vacancies.

National Commissioner Moyane has given a directive to the management to
start and complete the recruitment process within a period of two
months, a real turn around considering the department's normal average
of three to six months of recruitment processes. To achieve the
turnaround key elements of the recruitment will be decentralised with
Regional Commissioners and Chief Deputy Commissioners being champions of
the process.

The urgency to fill these vacancies was discussed at an Executive
Management meeting held earlier during the week. The meeting was
attended by both the Minister of Correctional Services Ms Nosiviwe
Mapisa-Nqakula as well as National Commissioner Moyane.

Enquiries:
Manelisi Wolela
Cell: 0836260304

Issued by: Department of Correctional Services
25 Jul 2010