2009-12-01:55 Former Offenders Prove City of Joburg Proud
More than 50 former offenders graduated last month from an unusual job-training programme sponsored by the City of Johannesburg.
The 55 youth who completed the programme had all been accused or convicted of a crime and today, 14 of the young ex-offenders have extended contracts in City departments - Johannesburg Fresh Produce Market, Department of Health and the Municipal Libraries.
Through the City’s Gateway Project young people accused or convicted of a minor crime, referred by the Department of Correctional Services (COMCOR), were provided with an opportunity to undergo on-the-job work experience in a City Department. This initiative is in line with the City of Joburg’s Youth Development policy which targets, among others, young people who have come into conflict with the law. With support from the skills development sector, it is hoped that they would not relapse back into crime, fueling the estimated 80% recidivism rate in South Africa.
“This has been a very positive, successful experience for all of us and we appeal to businesses and communities to also consider assisting ex-offenders, in particular the youth, to re-invent their CVs through creating opportunities for experience in the workplace. This will ultimately lead to social cohesion,” says Wandile Zwale, Director of Human Development for the City of Joburg.
“The Gateway project has provided us with a unique opportunity to demonstrate, irrefutably, that given the chance, ex-offenders can turn their backs on crime and contribute towards the growth of South Africa,” said Khulisa director Lesley Ann van Selm.
Khulisa has an exceptional record in the area of rehabilitation and reintegration of offenders. Graduates of its programmes are far more likely to find alternatives to crime than other offenders in South Africa. While the national rate is 80%, a recent Khulisa in-house survey demonstrates that recidivism among trackable Khulisa graduates over the past five years has been less than 20%.
The risks involved in the Gateway project were carefully considered at the outset when a detailed plan of action was agreed upon by all parties. This resulted in contracts being drawn up between the City departments and their staff, Khulisa and the participating ex-offenders. As a result of a rigorous monitoring, evaluation and mentoring process over the six months of job-shadowing, only a few minor challenges were experienced, and were dealt with as and when necessary.
The diverse departments in which the Gateway participants worked included the municipal library, Johannesburg Fresh Produce Market, department of health, department of transport, library department, Johannesburg Roads Agency and Metro Centre.
Following a six-month planning process, the Gateway Project itself was launched in March 2009. The process included referrals by COMCOR, assessments and interviews by Khulisa staff, identification of suitable candidates based on their age, crime, experience and personal assessment, interviews with each of the Departments in order to develop job specifications, matching suitable offenders with relevant Departments, training of Department mentors, drawing up contracts between all parties, ongoing mentoring, feedback and dialogue during the six-month work placement process.
Out of the 99 ex-offenders interviewed, 66 were finally selected, with the balance disqualified due to either age, nature of their crime or non-attendance at compulsory training. From the 66 who originally joined, one was dismissed, 10 found employment elsewhere and the remaining 55 completed the programme. This amounts to an 83% completion percentage. Since then, 14 have had their contracts extended in the departments in which they were initially placed. A further 15 have been assessed by placement agency, the Tower Group, who is actively assisting in finding work for these candidates – the rest will be assessed shortly.
“One of the highlights of this process was when were advised that one of the ex-offenders had actually received the ‘Employee of the Month’ award,” says van Selm.
In addition to potential placement in the workplace, Khulisa is also exploring opportunities to assist the ex-offenders in setting up their own businesses or working with Khulisa as part-time motivational speakers or community workers.
Lynne Frost, Managing Director of the privately-owned Tower Group says her company has come on board, “to use our existing infrastructure and client relationships to pursue finding placements and contributing towards reducing recividism.”
“Through the phenomenal results achieved through the Gateway Project, we are able to demonstrate that with the necessary hands-on support, in tandem with a skills development process, sympathetic professional mentoring and some form of income and purpose, offenders can and will turn their backs on crime,” says van Selm. “The City of Joburg’s initiative is an example to be followed.”
With crime continuing to spiral out of control, according to the latest statistics, projects such as Gateway demonstrate, by example, the role that each and every South African can play in halting the trend through support and by doing so making offender reintegration a community responsibility.
“One crime directly affects nine people,” says Van Selm. “If we can prevent offenders from relapsing and making a positive contribution towards the wellbeing of their family, we can truly start looking at changing the profile of crime in South Africa. Just imagine, on the positive side, how many lives could be saved through ex-offenders not relapsing back to crime.”
Van Selm, who currently employs over 200 staff and runs community development and social innovation programmes around South Africa, has appealed to the business sector to consider reaching out and providing a job working/skills development opportunity for an ex-offender in the area.
“The business sector needs to appreciate the value of providing a skills development or learnership opportunity for an ex-offender,” says van Selm. “The savings to the State, not only from a financial perspective, but also looking at the development of social and emotional intellectual capacity, could ultimately represent a benefit to the entire nation.”
Khulisa will provide the necessary support structures to assist all parties in working together and dealing with the challenges that inevitably rise through this process.
“It is vital to the interests of a crime-free new South Africa that the Gateway initiative not be allowed to die,” Van Selm concluded.
Issued on behalf of:
City of Joburg, in partnership with Khulisa Crime Prevention Initiative
Issued by:
Jacqueline Wijtenburg-Anaxagoras
Path Communication
(011) 485-3055
083 774 1808
jacqueline@pathcom.co.za
