JOHANNESBURG - There is growing concern about the number of parolees who continue to commit crime.
Government figures show that 1 in 8 parolees and probationers reoffended last year
Correctional Services is cracking down.
Officials and police led a blitz in Kwanobuhle in the Eastern Cape on Saturday night.
They were checking if gender-based violence and femicide parolees are sticking to the rules.
Under the cover of night, Correctional Services officials and police launched a blitz, targeting GBV and femicide parolees.
At the first stop, officers found parolee Zola Erasi at home and compliant.
Erasi said, "Life is difficult, I don't want to lie, life is difficult, but I have to prove to myself not only to my family that I want to change. And also change comes with consequences, and consequences are not easy."
The team then checked in on Nomonde Qomoyi, who says rehabilitation programmes turned her life around.
Qomoyi said, "I used to struggle with bottling up my emotions, and when I'm drunk, my anger would surface, and I'd lash out. But I've learned that's not healthy. Now I realise I just need someone trustworthy to talk to about what's bothering me."
But not all the visits went smoothly.
One parolee, convicted of rape, was found at a tavern.
Thobakgale says offenders who break parole conditions pose a direct threat to community safety.
He says electronic monitoring devices are on the way, technology already used abroad.
He said, "We are in a process of acquiring an electronic monitoring system. Well there are human rights issues that go with that, but these are systems that are used internationally. And these are not harmful systems, obviously the devices they have to comply with the South African Bureau Standards, and obviously will check for health and other types of hazards. Just to make sure that they're safe."
For Correctional Services, it’s about tightening the net, making sure parole is a privilege earned, not a free pass for repeat offenders.