National Commissioner of Correctional Services Makgothi Thobakgale has led a parole monitoring operation in Polokwane, Limpopo.

Correctional Services officers and their police counterparts made unannounced visits to parolees’ homes in Polokwane last night.

The operation focused on gender based violence and femicide parolees. There are about 45 000 parolees in South Africa.

Thobakgale says the aim is to ensure compliance with parole conditions and protect vulnerable members of society.

“This operation is our contribution to making interpoint that our community remain save but in particular women and children we have a serious problem of violent crime against children and women the parolees that we are monitoring are parolees that committed such crimes we are ensuring that they comply with conditions of their parole we need to work together with communities our parole officers when they come to do monitoring we would like to request community members to help them.”

David Malebana, a parolee from Makgofe village outside Polokwane, says he’s been adhering to the parole conditions for the past two years after serving time for rape.

“I have listened to the advice that I was given. I was told to comply with the parole condition given to me, I always stay at home. I inform officials when I want to go out. My advice to other people is that they must not commit crime, prison is not a good place.”