The Department of Correctional Services (DCS) says its bakery programme is playing a critical role in reducing costs, promoting self-sufficiency, and providing offenders with skills training and work experience.
Chief Deputy Commissioner Anna Malepo briefed Parliament’s Portfolio Committee on the department’s ongoing efforts to expand its network of correctional centre bakeries, improve bread production, and address operational challenges.
Malepo said the department currently operates 11 bakeries nationally, which supply bread to 39 correctional centres. A twelfth bakery in Durban was commissioned in June 2025 and is expected to become fully operational in the current financial year.
Malepo stated: “The purpose is mainly to share with the Portfolio Committee the establishment of bakeries in the department and also the prospective projects in support of self-sufficiency and sustainability.”
The initiative, she explained, is backed by Section 3 of the Correctional Services Act, which requires the department to be as self-sufficient as possible and to operate on business principles. She said DCS is also legally and morally obligated to provide inmates with an adequate diet to promote good health.
The bakeries are run by correctional officials, with offender labour making up a significant part of the workforce. Inmates working in the bakeries receive between R2 and R9 per day and are also trained in baking and operations management.
Malepo said there are 730 offenders assigned to bakery work across the country, while the total number of inmates engaged in work activities for the 2024–2025 financial year was 43,026.
She confirmed that all bakeries except one, Baviaanspoort bakery in Gauteng, are self-sufficient. Bavian is undergoing renovations and is expected to meet its full production potential once upgrades are complete. The Durban bakery, meanwhile, has been successfully tested and is ramping up production. EMpangeni bakery is complete but still awaiting the delivery of machinery before it can begin operations.
Malepo also said the department is also planning several new bakeries as part of its medium-term infrastructure expansion. Projects in Nigel, Krurgersdorp, Heldrstroom, Brandvlei, Groenpunt, Upington, Overberg bakeries, and the expansion of Baviaanspoort are all at various stages of planning and construction.
Most of these are “own resource” projects, meaning they are being built using internal labour and materials rather than external contractors, she said.
Malepo said these projects are designed not only to reduce procurement costs but also to give inmates practical construction and technical experience.
The department presented data showing strong production output, with some bakeries producing over 100,000 loaves of bread per quarter. Bread is baked daily and distributed to correctional centres using departmental vehicles.
However, Malepo acknowledged that operational challenges such as equipment breakdowns, ageing infrastructure, budget cuts, load-shedding, and delays in the delivery of ingredients have at times forced the department to buy bread from external suppliers at a higher cost.
She revealed that during the 2024/2025 period, the department had to procure bread externally due to such issues, resulting in increased costs.
For example, while the internal cost per loaf averaged around R7, external procurement drove the cost up to over R27 in some cases. “The difference between what we produce and what we procure is mainly attributed to the cost of ingredients, maintenance, and energy interruptions,” Malepo said.
To address this, Malepo said the DCS plans to prioritise the procurement of generators and improve contract management to ensure the timely delivery of baking ingredients. Malepo also noted that the department is working to finalise its microstructure by June 2026 to formally establish bakery-specific posts, which will provide stable staffing for operations.
Despite limited funding and infrastructure constraints, the department remains committed to expanding its bakery operations as a way to cut costs, improve food security, and provide inmates with meaningful skills development.
“We hope that these new bakeries, as soon as they are finalised, will also be contributing towards self-sufficiency and sustainability within the department,” Malepo told the committee.
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