We're cleaning up: Correctional services minister opens prison bakery
'We have about six inmates who have been awaiting trial for more than 10 years. There are ways in terms of legislation where we can request for them to go back to court. But it's not very successful,' said Groenewald.
Groenewald was speaking at the opening of a bakery at the Westville correctional facility on Thursday. He was accompanied by national commissioner Samuel Thobakgale.
Groenewald said another problem which contributed to overcrowding was that more than 3,000 remand detainees could not afford to pay bail of R3,000 or less.
Groenewald said there was a process in place to establish a bail fund to alleviate this.
He said there were more than 26,000 foreigners detained at correctional facilities, 13,000 of whom were detainees.
'I hope that by next year this time the department would have legislation in place so we can deport them to their countries of origin,' said Groenewald.
He said foreigners were costing the taxpayers more than R11m a month.
'If they want to continue with their criminality they should do it in their own country,' he said.
He said with the bakery producing 3,840 loaves daily, more than 50 inmates were benefiting from the much-needed skills training for which inmates received certificates.
'That is very important because it ensues that inmates are part of rehabilitation so when they leave the prison they are self-sufficient and can reintegrate into the society,' said Groenewald.
He said the department wanted to set up 20 bakeries in correctional facilities by 2028.
'We serve the people of South Africa to the benefit of taxpayers. With this initiative we are able to save around R3m annually on the bakery,' said Groenewald.
He said the department had spent more than R7m to build and establish the bakery, which he deemed to be a investment.
'A loaf of bread costs us R8 compared with the R23 we were paying external suppliers,' he said.
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Though the predominantly Afrikaans-speaking school (Stellenbosch) was foreign to Zulu and English speakers, Biyela decided to change her perspective to transform her educational, personal and professional experience at university by learning how to integrate into her new environment. 'I navigated that by really just diving into it – building bridges, making friends and trying to figure out what it was going to be. I didn't have another option, that was it,' said Biyela. Since coming to South Africa, I have had serendipitous sipping experiences with the cultural wine brand that inspired me to interview the winemaker herself. My first experience trying Aslina Wines was at the Africa Food Show in June. I was invited by chef, food security expert and entrepreneur Miles Kubheka after he and I had been conversing on WhatsApp before my arrival. While I have been reporting on diversity in the culinary industry, I am also reporting on spaza shops through the Pulitzer Center Campus Consortium Fellowship. I reached out to Kubheka to interview him based on his knowledge of spaza shops and he kindly invited me to the event. This three-day event connected vendors with distributors, hospitality groups and media to showcase products currently or not yet on the market. Here, I stumbled upon the wine brand that celebrates Zulu culture with the burgundy calabash, a traditional drinking vessel with grapes placed on the top as the logo of the brand, Aslina Wines. Though Biyela wasn't at the event, her two representatives, marketing and brand coordinator Eden Bezuidenhout and sales coordinator Yoliswa Masekwana, were. At the food show, both representatives warmly greeted guests and two bottles from the brand were on display when I arrived – a 2023 Chenin Blanc and a 2023 Chardonnay. 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I remember drafting an email to the marketing representative at the dinner table because I was too eager to interview Biyela. After a few days of correspondence I was scheduled to interview one of the first Black female winemakers in South Africa. On the day of the interview, it was a not-soshocking rainy day in Cape Town. I had just finished dining at AmaZink, a restaurant in the Kayamandi township, before heading to my interview with Ntsiki Biyela. The trip to Alberto Drive in Devonbosch, Stellenbosch, was a short 10-minute drive through the townscape to the semi-rural grounds and greenery. Upon arrival, a barrel that read 'ASLINA by Ntsiki Biyela' was written on the wooden frame with her calabash logo on top of the words. The rain gently pattered on top of the barrel and from the glass doors one table was filled with guests with presumably filled glasses on the table. Inside the tasting room, red couches are paired with beige accent chairs. Posters with different wine bottles from Aslina Wines against a wildlife background with the logo of the brand are hung on the walls. More wine bottles from Aslina are on display, but by the receptionist's desk. Customer service and wine specialist Scarra Wayiza greeted me at the door before I reunited with Bezuidenhout and Masekwana. Our short reunion was soon joined by the wine owner herself, Biyela, a woman with beautiful moles and short locks. We shook hands and she immediately offered me a beverage of my choice – a glass of wine or tea. She sensed my shy spirit and chuckled before bringing me a glass – the option that I was too nervous to ask for. The interview I psyched myself out for was a pleasant chat about community, culture and curation. Interviewing Biyela was like talking to one of your favourite aunts. The witty woman effortlessly cracked jokes, shared her wisdom on the wine industry and offered words of encouragement to me as an early-career journalist. While interviewing Biyela, she shared that Absie Pantshwa, co-founder of EDGE X VUE, proudly displays Aslina Wines as an opportunity for local and Black winemakers to be highlighted at the restaurant to uplift the economy and support local businesses. 'Wine is playing a role of matriarching, putting people together, but also wine is playing a role of changing the economic aspect of the country,' said Biyela. As the marketing coordinator, Bezuidenhout understands the role winemakers and buyers have in the wine industry. 'Local owned wine brands put food on people's tables. Not only does Aslina give me a good life that I can live because it supports me, but it also supports the farm workers, the people who do the labelling, the people who do the bottling,' said Bezuidenhout. Biyela's wines include a curated selection to cater and complement cultural cuisine such as her grandmother's chicken curry. In KZN, the Indian influence helps to enhance the flavourful Zulu meals. Biyela challenges Western wine philosophy by experimenting with different cuisine and wines. She remembers her experience in Japan when she and her peers decided to try a glass of Cabernet with spicy noodles. 'The wine is already in the bottle, but it is all about what you are going to do with your food so that it pairs well with your wine,' said Biyela. As a young winemaker, Biyela remembers being told not to pair red wine with spicy food. The bold brand owner did the exact opposite. 'It made the wine sweeter, it made the flavours explode,' said Biyela. Biyela wants to encourage aspiring winemakers to explore different meals with unexpected bottles. 'It must either enhance the flavour profile of the wine or it must match it, but you don't want any of this suppressing each other,' said Biyela. Biyela's brand is more than wine in a bottle, she offers intimate wine tasting room experiences for customers to explore. At Aslina Wines, customers can expect to taste five selected wines: Sauvignon Blanc, Chardonnay, Chenin Blanc, Cabernet Sauvignon and Umsasane, Biyela's grandmother's nickname which translates to 'tree'. The traditional Zulu word means protection. Biyela believes different cultures can enhance the wine industry. 'It helps the industry to bring beautiful structures, beautiful textures, beautiful tastes, and you can't just go one dimensional,' said Biyela. 'Having all of these different cultures is actually a good thing for the wine industry.' While the wine industry continues to transform, Biyela encourages young winemakers to be flexible with their learning and networking. 'Be knowledgeable about it, but also allow yourself to learn, be open to learning, ask questions, talk to people,' said Biyela. Before leaving the tasting space in Stellenbosch, I snapped a couple more photos of the Afrocentric ambience and watched Biyela take a seat with the guests attending the tasting experience, her friendly spirit matching the energetic company of the wine tasters. A month later, I was attending the Local Wine Expo in Johannesburg on Tony's behalf and Aslina Wines was there once again. I proudly snapped a photo and sent it to Tony. It is nearly 10 years since Biyela has decided to start her wine business. The heritage in a bottle wine brand challenges the Western wine industry by mixing traditional ingredients to create her wine brand. 'When we look at the wine industry, the wine has been mostly wine as Western culture, but now… there's a global village. We all have different foods. It is for us to understand, the wines should adjust to what we do,' said Biyela. DM
