Westville Prison's new bakery: A dual benefit for inmates and taxpayers

IOL News

2 days ago

Correctional Services Minister Dr Pieter Groenewald tastes a piece of bread baked by Westville Prison inmates at the new Durban Management Area Bakery at the prison.
Image: Sibonelo Ngcobo / Independent Newspapers
The opening of the Durban Management Area Bakery at Westville Prison in Durban was for the benefit of taxpayers and the rehabilitation of inmates.
Correctional Services Minister Dr Pieter Groenewald said it was an honour to open the bakery because it will benefit South African taxpayers.
'This bakery can produce 3,840 loaves of bread daily. The rate is about 480 loaves of bread an hour,' Groenewald said.
'We have almost 50 inmates involved in the bakery, meaning they get a pre-training and then they also rotate in certain ways to ensure that they also are practically part of the process.'
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Inmates at Westville Prison engage in hands-on training at the newly opened bakery, learning valuable skills for their reintegration into society.
Image: Sibonelo Ngcobo / Independent Newspapers
Groenewald said this is part of rehabilitation, ensuring that when the inmates leave Correctional Services facilities, they are successfully reintegrated into society.
'When they finish here, they will receive a certificate to say that, and this is part of their skills they have learned in Correctional Services, so it's a dual benefit for the inmates on the one side and the taxpayers on the other side,' Groenewald said.
'We will save more or less R3 million annually with this bakery. The facility cost us about R7 million, but it is an investment, so we must also see this as an investment; after about two years, we will have the full benefit.'
Groenewald said they produce a loaf of bread for R8. Currently, through external suppliers, they pay almost R23.50 per 700g loaf of bread.
He said bread plays a crucial role in the inmates' nutrition programme.
Inmates rotate through various roles in the bakery, gaining practical experience and a certificate upon completion of their training.
Image: Sibonelo Ngcobo / Independent Newspapers
'This is the 13th bakery in Correctional Services, and we hope by 2028 that we will have 20 bakeries,' Groenewald said.
When he became minister, he said they must enhance the self-sufficiency of Correctional Services to benefit taxpayers.
'If you add the agricultural activities and all other activities, the previous year, through the management of the National Commissioner, we saved the taxpayers almost half a billion rand. Add to that the other benefit of rehabilitation for reintegration.'
Groenewald told the inmates to see themselves as privileged to work in the bakery. They learn a specific skill. If they go out of the Correctional Services facilities, they will get a certificate saying they have worked and have the specific skills in terms of bakery. They will get a job easily when they are out, and some of them can even start bakeries.
Correctional Services Minister Dr Pieter Groenewald highlights the dual benefits of the new bakery: enhancing inmate skills and reducing costs for South African taxpayers.
Image: Sibonelo Ngcobo / Independent Newspapers
'So that is another bonus because we have an obligation as Correctional Services to ensure that there is successful law-abiding reintegration in our society.'
Groenewald said that before selection, the inmates had their records looked at. They see what category of inmate they are. Then, in terms of different skills, they get selected and do a pre-course on bakery.
'There are about 50 of them, and from that, after they completed the pre-course, they come in in a practical situation, and they rotate them to ensure that they also are practically part of the process,' Groenewald said.
'In the end, at least you have 50 of the inmates in this specific bakery. Countrywide, this is the 13th bakery, and we hope to increase it to 20 by 2028.'
Mlindeni Xaba, an inmate at Westville Prison, expresses gratitude for the opportunity to learn baking skills that will aid his future after release.
Image: Sibonelo Ngcobo / Independent Newspapers
Medium C inmate Mlindeni Xaba, 30, speaking on behalf of the inmates he works with in the bakery, thanked Correctional Services officials for the opportunity they gave them, for how they are treated, and for helping them choose the right path.
'We're also thankful for the skills they've imparted to us, so that we can use them when we are released,' Xaba said.
He was handed an eight-year sentence for robbery and has been behind bars for two years.
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