ANC Eastern Cape top gun Andile Lungisa returned home to a hero’s welcome on Tuesday. Lungisa was released from jail on parole after serving two months of his two-year jail term for hitting DA councillor, Rano Kayser, with a jug full of water in 2016 during a heated council meeting.
Correctional Services Spokesperson, Singabakho Nxumalo, says his release is part of the President’s Special Remission of Sentences aimed at reducing overcrowding in prisons.
It reduced Lungisa’s sentence by a year, making him one of the over 14 000 inmates who have benefitted from the Special Remission of Sentence.
“Classified as a first time offender with a positive support system, and having responded positively to rehabilitation programmes, parole placement for Lungisa is in line with Section 73(7)(a) of the Correctional Services Act. The Act determines the minimum period of sentence that must be served before consideration for possible parole placement. This must be read together with Section 276(1)(i) of the Criminal Procedure Act as it stipulates a mandatory one sixth of the sentence to be served before any consideration for parole,” Nxumalo says.
The Andile Lungisa Campaign organised the welcoming bash for the former ANC Youth League leader.
His supporters gathered at the Vuyisile Mini Square in Port Elizabeth.
“He is the hero amongst heroes and his history of activism speaks for itself. He was sent to jail for defending the gains made by fighting for democracy,” the Release Lungisa Campaign has said.
Former North West Premier Supra Mahumapelo was one of the former ANC leaders who welcomed Lungisa back into society.
Mahumapelo accused some people of working hard to destroy Lungisa’s political career.
On his part, Lungisa said he went to prison because he fought the Democratic Alliance (DA).
The DA governed the Nelson Mandela Bay metro until Athol Trollip was ousted during a council vote in 2018.
Lungisa says he doesn’t lose sleep thinking about his victim, Kayser.
@Nazo_Buso
Lungisa called on President Cyril Ramaphosa to stop attacking his predecessor, Jacob Zuma. Lungisa believes the ANC’s fight against corruption is selective. He says while some governing party leaders are targeted in the crusade, some are persecuted within the party due to dissenting views. He also blamed the COVID-19 crisis in the Nelson Mandela Bay Metro to lack of leadership.
The former deputy president of the ANC Youth League also blasted the country’s leadership for failure to pluck poor South Africans out of poverty. He says he will be visiting villages in preparation for, what he termed, the biggest conference the country has seen.
He says that’s where they will table an economic programme for South Africa before the ANC’s National General Council. The governing party was due to be held in the second half of the year but was postponed due to COVID-19. It has now been scheduled for May 2021.
The NGC discusses and debates strategic organisational and political issues facing the movement. While it charts the way forward – it cannot change policies or resolutions adopted by the party’s five-yearly national conference.
The ANC Eastern Cape Provincial Executive Committee says it will release a statement on the Lungisa matter in due course.
South Africans have meanwhile reacted with mixed views to the former ANC Youth League deputy president’s release from prison, with some questioning the country’s justice system.
The animal farm chronicles continue! What a mess!!!#andilelungisa
Appeal against sentence rejected by SCA. Starts his to two year sentence. Threatens to appeal in Concourt. Next thing he's getting released on parole. All in a space of three months. The wheels of justice turn real quick for some #AndileLungisapic.twitter.com/a3nTEzQS9k
Those crying about the release of Andile Lungisa must first ask where is the convicted racist VickyMomberg – how much time did she spend behind bars? #AndileLungisa
Break a glass jug over someone's head, get a two-year jail term. But this is South Africa so after 2 months of serving your sentence you get parole. Ja nee, Lekker to be a cadre in South Africa. #AndileLungisa
How many other prisoners are released in the Eastern Cape because of second wave of #covid19SA ? Or Andile "Sankara " Lungisa just enjoys Black privilege, enjoys benefits of rigged Justice System that favours Political Elites!#andilelungisa
The Justice and Correctional Services Minister, Ronald Lamola, has opened a new R300 million Tzaneen Correctional Centre in Limpopo.
The prison occupies 44 hectares of land on a farm, 5km outside Tzaneen, in the Greater Tzaneen Municipality. The centre is classified as a medium centre, housing offenders serving sentences up to 15 years within the Mopani District Municipality. It is one the three centres in Limpopo under the Polokwane Management Area.
The other two centres are Polokwane Correctional Centre and Capricorn District and Modimolle Correctional Centre, in the Waterberg District.
Minister Lamola defended the money spent on the construction of the new facility. “We are accused that we are building hotels for these people, we are not, but trying to change lives,” he said.
Public Works Deputy Minister Noxolo Kiviet, Limpopo MEC for Transport and Community Safety Mavhungu Lerule-Ramakhanya, Greater Tzaneen Municipality Mayor Maripe Mangena, Mopani District Municipality Chiefs led by Chairperson of Limpopo House of Traditional Leaders Council Kgoshi Dikgale, Tzaneen Cluster Police Major General Maggy Mathebula and former Greater Tzaneen Municipality (GTM) Mayor currently the Speaker of GTM Council Cllr Dikeledi Mmetle also attended the unveiling of the prison.
The centre replaces an old one, which had 68 beds. The newly built facility has 501 beds and is one of 16 New Generation Centres in South Africa.
“No country has a fully built infrastructure, am glad the Public Works Deputy Minister is here and committing herself to help us build, hope it won’t take another 10 years to build the employees accommodation,” the Minister remarked.
Mayor Maripe Mangena said: “Centres like this will enable our Municipality and district to limit criminal activities; I welcome all of you.”
Public Servants Association’s Limpopo Provincial Manager, John Teffo, welcomed the government’s efforts.
“We are excited about the extension because it will reduce overcrowding; hopefully the building will be maintained; the issue of understaffed hopefully the vacant posts will be filled by qualified personnel soon,” he said.
The Correctional Services Department reported a 38% overpopulation across the country’s prisons during the 2017/2018 financial year.
Public Works Deputy Minister Noxolo Kiviet acknowledged the newly conferred Dr Chief N’wamitwa, saying “we need leaders of her calibre.”
Chief N’wamitwa was conferred with the doctorate by the University of South Africa (Unisa) under the division of Law on the 13th of November 2020.
“I must go back to the office and fight vigorously to build and improve infrastructure as we enable Madiba’s wishes to care for our people; When you give dignity you have the potential to receive dignity in return,” Kiviet concluded.
Limpopo MEC for Transport and Community safety, Mavhungu Lerule-Ramakhanya, said: “We really appreciate a facility of this nature as a province; this facility will challenge the inmates to change their ways; we are willing to work with you Minister.”
Minister Lamola emphasised the importance of accepting the inmates back into communities.
“We give them all sorts of training and skills development here but we don’t pay their university fees, their families should pay if they wish to study further, hopefully they will use this skills when they are released,” he said.
Chairperson of Limpopo House of Traditional Leaders Council, Kgoshi Dikgale, urged authorities to facilitate the reintegration of inmates.
“When you release these people you should introduce them to our chiefs, so we will know who they are and where to bury them.”
The furniture for the newly built centre was manufactured by inmates from Boksburg Correctional Centre’ Production workshop, Gauteng.
“The mask I am wearing was made by inmates, at least 32 000 masks had been made to date. Please give them work opportunities if you can. If we keep them busy here all day by the end of the day they will be too tired to plot anything even to think,” Lamola said.
Twenty awards were also designed from the same workshop which the Minister handed out to the dignitaries. BACKGROUND FACTS ABOUT THE CENTRE:
– Head: Mr Nelson Nkhwashu
* The numbers:– Original Contract to build: 22 December 2009, 32 months
– The project stopped on the 03 rd December 2014, reason: the contractor was liquidated. Progress was 92% complete
– Resumed, 2nd contract: 10 th January 2017. – Initial completion deadline: 10 September 2017, – Actual completion date: 21 July 2020
– The inmates moved to the new facility on the 20 August 2020
– By the 18th November 2020 the inmates were 262, with 179 officials out of 260 required
– The new facility has 501 beds – The cost is R335 851 768
* The Education:
– AET level 1-4 (GET); Skills Development – TVET College Programmes – Engineering Studies N1 – N3 – Skills Training Programmes – Woodwork – Electrical – Basic Computer Skills – Fruit Production – Vegetable Production – Motor and Diesel Mechanics – Farm Management – Greenhouse Farming Project * The Building– K-1 and K-2 housing units – Kitchen and the dining hall – Hospital – Skills – Formal Education: classes and library – Laundry – Maintenance – Transport – Administration – Admission and Release block – Visiting area – Sports field
