Prisoners rehabilitation spurred by a visit from friends and family
The chance to reunite with your family is something many often take for granted.
The chance to reunite with your family is something many often take for granted.
For the offenders at Barberton Department of Correctional Services (DCS) Medium B, it was a golden opportunity to reconnect with relatives and friends last Sunday. This was during a family day organised by DCS.
Mesia Hlungwani, correctional services spokesman, said the day went smoothly, without any hiccups reported.
There were fears leading up to the event that some problems might be experienced after the department put into effect a new policy that prohibited visitors from bringing in items bought outside the prison.
Everything, from cigarettes, meat, pap and gravy, soft drinks and cosmetics, were on sale at various kiosks that were set up inside the prison.
Many who visited their relatives appreciated the opportunity offered to them by DCS to spend a day with their loved ones who are incarcerated. Visitors came from as far afield as Cape Town and KwaZulu-Natal.
Pinkie Mkhonto and Ronnie Mahlalela came from Bushbuckridge to visit their cousin, Arthur Baker.
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“The last time I visited him was back in 2009. I’m happy to come back here and find him healthy. It is special for us to be able to spend the day with him. To us, family means everything. It’s something we cannot live without, we appreciate the time we get to spend with our cousin, time to strengthen family bonds and remind one another about our family morals,” said Mahlalela.
Some offenders are using their time behind bars to equip themselves with skills and knowledge, making an investment in their future so that they can one day be released back into society as responsible citizens. Like Sonnyboy Nyalunga, who has since developed a skill to grow fruit trees.
He said he grows the trees from the seeds he collects inside the prison after they have been served fruit.
“This is something that I will make a living out of once I am released. I have found a passion for growing fruit trees,” said Nyalunga.
During the family day, he sold the trees he had grown from seeds.
