Department Of Correctional Services Operation Hira
Roll-out of Operation Hira to attract scarce and critical skills in Correctional Centres
The Department of Correctional Services has made a call for all people with critical and scarce skills to converge at various sites nationally for an unprecedented on-the-spot recruitment drive scheduled to kick off on 19 November 2015.
The special campiagn code named – Operation Hira – that starts in 13 days’ time, was announced by the Minister of Justice and Correctional Services, Adv Michael Masutha, during his budget vote speech earlier this year, and launched on 21 September 2015 during the Corrections Week.
The advertisements carried in a seires of newspapers nationally today, list doctors, clinical psychologists, professional nurses, pharmacists, artisans, construction project managers, social workers, educationists, engineers, IT specialists, state accountants, supply chain management specialists, technicians, internal auditors, legal admin officers, as well as occupational directed education and training development officers.
Announcing these efforts the National Commissioner of Correctional Services, Mr Zach Modise, said the special recruitment drive is intended to address high vacancy rates in scarce skills categories of the department’s workforce and will assist in the department’s efforts to re-invent itself and strengthen the rehabilitation and social reintegration of offenders.
Mr Modise added that through this special campaign, Correctional Services is also contributing in ensuring that jobs are provided to qualifying potential employees to help reduce levels on unemployment in the country, while also helping to speed up the professionalisation of corrections in South Africa.
Mr Modise said, although the Department has an overall vacancy rate of 8.43% that is lower than the government wide threshold of 10% vacancy levels, it experiences higher vacancy rates in the scarce and critical skills categories and has set itself an ambitious target of 2% vacancy levels. He said the Operation Hira campaign, seeks to turn on its head the current long turnaround times in the recruitment of employees by over 80%.
The qualifying potential employees will be expected to submit their applications on site, with shortlisting done the same day and interviews being conducted on the second day of each road show to be undertaken across all six regions of the Department of Correctional Services. The new schedule of the regional Job Fairs is as follows:
1. 19-20 November 2015 at Goodwood Correctional Centre in Monteque Avenue (Cape Town)in the Western Cape;
2. 23-24 November 2015 at Bloemfontein City Hall in the Free State and Northern Cape Region;
3. 26-27 November 2015 at St Albans Correctional Centre in Port Elizabeth – Eastern Cape;
4. 02-03 December 2015 at Polokwane Jack Botes Hall in the Limpompo, Mpumalanga and North West Region;
5. 08-09 December 2015 at Sevontein Correctional Centre – Pietermaritzburg in KwaZulu-Natal
6. 10-11 December 2015 at Johannesburg Correctional Centre in Gauteng.
Earlier advertised dates of 10-11 as well as 12-13 of November, for the KwaZulu-Natal and Gauteng regional legs of the campaign respectively, have been shifted to the beginning of December to help give more time for applicants from the two regions of Correctional Services. Contact details for each regional roadshow have been provided to help potential appllicants get clarity and avoid turning up with inappropriate requirements.
National Commissioner Modise said, this first-of-its-kind recruitment drive, will help the Department meet its ever-drifting targets for the recruitment of personnel to fill vacancies. The Job Fairs scheduled to start on 19 November and end on 11 December 2015, will commence at 08h00 and conclude at 17h00 on both days.
For customised media enquiries on each region, contact details are outlined hereunder:
|
REGION |
VENUE |
DATE |
MEDIA CONTACT |
| Western
Cape |
Cape Town: Goodwood Correctional Centre Hall in Montaque Avenue | 19–20 November 2015 | Mr. Simphiwe Xako
Cell: 079 501 0272 |
| Free State and
Northern Cape |
Bloemfontein: Bloemfontein City Hall, Corner Charles and Nelson Mandela Street | 23–24 November 2015 | Ms. Puleng Mokhoane
Cell: 082 577 7653 |
| Eastern
Cape |
Port Elizabeth: St Albans Correctional Centre Hall in St Albans | 26–27 November 2015 | Mr. Zama Feni
Cell: 082 558 3369 |
| Limpopo/
Mpumalanga/ North West |
Polokwane: Jack Botes Hall, Corner Church and Bodestein Street | 02 – 03 December 2015 | Mr. Messiah Hlungwani
Cell: 082 070 6909 |
| KwaZulu-Natal | Pietermaritzburg: Sevontein Correctional Centre in Elandskop | 08 – 09 December 2015 | Mr. Thulani Mdluli
Cell: 083 636 0876 |
| Gauteng | Johannesburg Correctional Centre in Meredale | 10 – 11 December 2015 | Mr. Ofentse Morwane
Cell: 076 419 4884 |
Enquiries:
Manelisi Wolela
Cell: 076 062 2180
Cell: [email protected]