BCM to revive agreement allowing prisoners to help clean up the city

Speaking to the Daily Dispatch yesterday, mayor Alfred Mtsi said talks to revive a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with the Department of Correctional Services (DCS) to supply inmates to clean cemeteries, cut grass and clear bushes were at an advanced stage.

“We met with the department late last year and have already made some agreement...in line with cleaning the city,” said Mtsi.

The Dispatch understands an agreement with the department to use inmates to clean up the the city, which has to be renewed annually, was signed a few years ago.

However, according to the mayor, the agreement had not been revived over the past two years.

The two parties agreed that prisoners would participate in programmes including cleaning public spaces, removing solid waste, rehabilitating illegal dumps, cutting grass and clearing bushes, beautifying entrances to suburbs and the city, and assist in any general work performed by the BCM’s directorate of community services.

The department’s regional manager, Nkosinathi Breakfast, said yesterday said there were about 4000 inmates at correctional centres in BCM but only those convicted of offences not considered “serious”, and those on parole and probation, would take part in the programmes.

“This does not mean that sentences would be reduced, but this would help inmates to use the same hands that wronged the community to make right in the community,” said Breakfast.

Department officials would guard inmates while they worked. Mtsi said an agreement in principal was already in place for prisoners to clean cemeteries, especially Mtsotso cemetery in Mdantsane.

The Dispatch has on numerous occasions reported on Mtsotso cemetery, Mdantsane’s oldest and BCM’s biggest cemetery, which has fallen into neglect. “We have received reports that there were snakes at Mtsotso and the plan was to fumigate the area before we cut and clear the bushes,” said Mtsi.

He said the municipal officials were holding talks with labour unions to inform them of the plans and how the work would be done. The inmates’ labour would be used when needed and equipment would be provided by the metro.

The deadline for the revival of the MoU was June, with the cemetery clean-ups scheduled to start soon. — arethal@dispatch.co.za