In November 2000 when I became the Executive Director my
vision for the organisation was for us to move from the old
traditional way of welfare work to a New Generation Organisation.
As a New Generation Organisation, NICRO has taken up the
challenge of providing innovative and effective community-based
work, exercising a strong influence on the powers that be
and developing strategic partnerships in order to achieve
our vision for a safer South Africa. Like similiar organisations,
NICRO is concentrating on the enormous challenge of sustainability
in terms of human resources, financial resources and service
delivery.
There is no doubt that NICRO's efforts are paying rich dividends
and going a long way towards breaking the chain of crime and violence
in South Africa. Not only do we receive recognition for our fine
work, but our triumphs serve to motivate us to even greater heights.
During November 2001, NICRO recognised and paid tribute to those
who have contributed significantly to crime prevention. Each and
everyone, whom we honoured on that special occasion, bore testimony
to the positive energies and the spirit of "ubuntu" which flourish
in South African communities. We also paid tribute to our volunteers,
without whose unfailing commitment and hard work we would not be
able to reach as many people as we do.
We would, however not be able to meet, and beat, the many challenges
we face, were it not for the ongoing commitment and support of all
our funders and supporters, large and small, in cash and kind. We
salute each one in turn and thank them for the significant role they
play in enabling us to render services of a high quality.
Last but not least, I'd like to thank all NICRO staff and volunteers
for their ongoing and loyal commitment to the organisation.
Soraya Solomon
Executive Director
NICRO
Board Members
President:
Prof K Asmal
Limpopo:
Dr M Malahlela
National Chairperson:
Adv P A L Gamble
Mpumalanga:
Mr B P Maseko
Member for Finance:
Mr R Klotz
Northern Cape:
Mr R Morris
Eastern Cape:
Ms E Yerolemou
NorthWest:
Rev K Molete
Free State:
Mr H Goliath
Western Cape:
Mr M Mutlane
Gauteng:
Ms S Mampane
Co-opted member:
Mr S Karjieker
KwaZulu-Natal:
Mr W Petersen
Co-opted member:
Mr G Gajjar
NICRO Awards
Creative Arts Award for Prison Art
The Creative Arts Awards for Prison Art is
an annual competition for art by prisoners in South Africa,
and is open to all prisoners. It is an opportunity to display
individual artistic talent and prize-winning entries are
exhibited to the public at the annual NICRO gala event. The
winners for 2001 were:
Needlework
Chris Malagas
Pollsmoor - Western Cape
Woodwork
Pieter Moshim
Odi - NorthWest
Matchstick construction
Kevin Golding
Pollsmoor - Western Cape
Painting
Victor Shange
Umzinto - KwaZulu-Natal
Fabric Painting
Bonelwa Mgulungu
East London - Eastern Cape
Leatherwork
Pieter Van Heerden
Waterval - KwaZulu-Natal
Recycling
John Zungu
Waterval - KwaZulu-Natal
Poetry and Prose
Dennis Govender
Umzinto - KwaZulu-Natal
NICRO Community Safety Awards
The NICRO Community Safety Awards give recognition
to the impact citizens have on nation building and safety
in our country. The winners for 2001 were:
Moses Mutlane - Volunteer
Moses has served NICRO as a volunteer for the past 27 years.
Come rain or sunshine his voluntary work for the bus service
continues. There is no doubt that this affordable service,
which NICRO introduced to facilitate and encourage contact
between offenders and their families, would not run nearly
as smoothly or effectively, were it not for Moses. Not
only do we salute Moses; we also pay tribute to his family
who often spends their Sundays without him while he is
busy comforting and helping other families.
Michael van Heerden - Youth Development
For the past ten years Michael has dedicated his life to
addressing the plight of street children. After his release
from prison he joined NICRO as a volunteer, with only one
real qualification: his extensive knowledge of survival
on the streets. He succeeded in building trusting relationships
with all his young charges and became a fierce advocate
of children’s rights. Michael is currently studying
for his Child and Youth Care Worker qualification.
Moses Lediga - Community Victim Support
Moses was so inspired by the assistance he received from
NICRO that he felt motivated to give something back to
his community. He is actively involved with the counselling
of victims of crime and violence, and regularly visits
clients with special needs. Moses has co-facilitated victim
empowerment workshops and training programmes around the
Domestic Violence Act. And there’s more! He has joined
forces with teachers, police officials and health workers
to establish children’s rights groups.
Justice for Women Campaign - Offender Reintegration
Initiated by the Centre for the Study of Violence and Reconciliation
and supported by the Network on Violence Against Women
and the Commission on Gender Equality, was launched in
April 2001. Its primary aims are to secure the early release
of women accused of killing abusive partners and a commitment
from civil society and government to increase and improve
services to women experiencing domestic violence.
Julia Khabonina Tshabalala - Economic Opportunities
Programme
Khabo's Creche opened its doors to only six children in June
2001. By the end of July 2001 a mere two months later, enrolments
had increased sevenfold and 42 children enjoyed Julia's care
and nurturing.
The creche now employs five staff members and both the business and
profits continue to go from strength to strength. Upon receiving
the award, Julia said:”NICRO has helped me to realise my dream”.
From the Deputy Executive Director
During the year under review NICRO continued to build on
its successes of the past and also from lessons learned.
Addressing crime in the South African context is a demanding
task and necessitates that NICRO must be internally strong
and flexible. Our environment demands that we must have skilled
managers and knowledgeable staff in place to ensure that
we are able to make a quality of life difference for our
clients.
In the previous financial year we started with the implementation
of a comprehensive human resources management system which have now
been fully implemented in the organisation. This has started to bring
results in terms of the quality of staff we employ, quality of services
rendered and the out-put of the organisation. As part of this strategy,
extensive training has been conducted with the service delivery and
management staff of the organisation to ensure that they are equipped
with the skills required for the task.
Due to the changing environment we operate in, it is necessary that
the organisation, on a continuous basis, critically assess its services
and develop new services where necessary. In the following pages
new services of the organisation are highlighted, such as the domestic
violence perpetrators programme. We have also continued with the
independent evaluation of NICRO services to enable us to improve
the quality and the management thereof. The statistical database
that records services has also been enhanced and we are now able
to give more accurate and up to date figures on the out-put of the
organisation. Our internal systems are now also set up to provide
for accurate qualitative information flow between provinces and National
Office.
I would like to express my sincere appreciation to the nine Provincial
Directors for their hard work, dedication and the extra mile throughout
the year. They are the backbone of the organisation and it is a privilege
to work with them.
Lukas Muntingh
Deputy Executive Director
NICRO's commitment to a safer
future
Promoting restorative justice ( restoring
the balance affected by crime rather
than practicing retributive justice)
and people-centred development
Preventing and reducing crime through
ongoing, accessible and effective service
delivery
Contributing meaningfully towards
streamlining the criminal justice system,
policymaking and legislation in South
Africa
Networking, developing and strengthening
partnerships and increasing organisational
capacity through collaborative efforts
with business and government, as well
as ensuring the active involvement
of members of the community, community
groups and civil society
Strengthening community capacity
Focussing on under-resourced areas
and providing needs-directed services
where they are required most
Adopting a best practice, well rounded
approach in all that we do
Copies of this Annual Report are available
from the NICRO National Office nicro@wn.apc.org
