Cape Town — Suspended national commissioner for correctional services Xoliswa Sibeko's days as a top public servant appear to be numbered after Correctional Services Minister Nosiviwe Mapisa-Nqakula 's told a parliamentary committee yesterday that "things do not look good" for her.

However, there was no mention of the situation with former minister Ngconde Balfour 's wife, Gauteng commissioner of correctional services Thozama Mqobi-Balfour.

She is in a similar position to that of the national commissioner.

Both were allegedly renting luxury golf estate properties for R30000 a month despite the fact that they had official residences at their disposal.

It has been confirmed that Balfour is an ambassador designate and is likely to get a posting as the high commissioner to Botswana.

Mapisa-Nqakula, briefing Parliament's correctional services committee, said originally she got no reply to her inquiries from Sibeko. When she did receive a response, it said nothing, prompting her to suspend the national commissioner after consulting her colleague Public Services Minister Richard Baloyi .

"The report does not look good for the national commissioner," she said. She promised the committee that when the final report was at hand she would return to the committee and brief them again, but stressed that the information she already had "does not favour her".

ANC chairman of the committee Vincent Smith asked MPs not to quiz the minister on the issue because it had not been finalised, but Democratic Alliance MP James Selfe pointed out to Mapisa-Nqakula that Sibeko was not the only official renting a property at the luxury golf estate.

In a clear reference to Mqobi-Balfour he said he hoped when the final briefing came it would include her.

Mapisa-Nqakula's briefing was frank. She said the department was starting out with a R500m budget deficit and this meant that cuts would have to be made -- "it is very frustrating that we are not able to implement plans through a lack of funds".

She said many of the department's vacancies, which had to be filled as a matter of urgency, were unfunded. The implementation of a seven-day establishment -- which removes the financial burden of paying overtime -- and its shift system meant more staff were needed, but there was no funding for them.

She also warned of growing alcoholism among correctional services staff. While she was not a drinker, she could almost understand how the problem arose as working conditions for warders were bad.

Selfe commended her for a refreshingly frank and nondefensive briefing to the committee.