In celebration of Mandela Day today, the Drakenstein Correctional Centre near Paarl, in collaboration with the Department of Correctional Services (DCS), marked the official inauguration of the country’s first Nelson Mandela Rules Training Academy.
The event was attended by Dr Pieter Groenewald (Minister of the DCS), Makgothi Samuel Thobakgale (National Commissioner of the DCS), Lindiwe Ntshalintshali (Deputy Minister of the DCS), and Stephen Korabie (Executive Mayor of Drakenstein Municipality).
The opening ceremony was held on the grounds of the correctional facility, with the new training academy situated a stone’s throw from the prison house where Nelson Mandela was held for 14 months before his release in 1990.
The academy aims to promote humane conditions of imprisonment, foster awareness that humane treatment of prisoners remains an integral part of society, and recognise the vital role that correctional staff play as providers of a key public service through using the guidelines established by the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) in 2015. This year also marks the 10th anniversary for this program.
The UNODC named the course, called the Nelson Mandela Rules, after the late President Nelson Mandela, who was imprisoned for 27 years and consistently advocated for the fair and humane treatment of all people, including prisoners.
During the launch, Thobakgale announced that there are 170 trained prison staff who will facilitate the course and that 30 laptops were donated to the training academy for the course. The Southern African Development Community (SADC) region will also enroll their own officials.
An existing vacant building will be repurposed to house the training academy.
According to Groenewald, the training will equip correctional staff with the skills to rehabilitate inmates effectively by treating them with dignity and respect, thereby supporting their successful reintegration into society upon completion of their sentences.
Read the full story in next week’s edition of the Paarl Post.
