A hundred Smart Agricultural Boxes were handed over to the Nelspruit Correctional Centre to elevate rehabilitation of offenders through self-sustaining skills.

The minister of public service and administration, Inkosi Mzamo Buthelezi, handed over the project to the minister of correctional services, Dr Pieter Groenewald, on Thursday, March 5.

Groenewald said the Smart Agriculture Box is a modern, climate-responsive farming solution designed to optimise limited land and water resources. The centre had already piloted the project with 47 boxes that were previously received.

“Within correctional services, it strengthens self-sufficiency and sustainability, improves food production, and reduces operational costs, while advancing the department’s rehabilitation mandate,” he said.

He commended the interdepartmental collaboration in rehabilitation of offenders.

“Through structured training, correctional officials and offenders acquire practical skills in smart agriculture techniques and organic compost production. These skills contribute meaningfully to rehabilitation by equipping offenders with marketable competencies that support income generation and reintegration upon release.”

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He said the initiative positions correctional centres as hubs of productive activity, aligned with sustainable development and modern agricultural innovation.

Buthelezi added that the relocation and expansion of the Smart Agriculture Boxes to Nelspruit Correctional Centre will further mainstream the model and enhance vegetable yields.

Nkosinathi Dube, an offender serving his sentence at the centre, said that technology saves both time and money while producing strong, high-quality vegetables ready for consumption.

Dube intends to apply the skills he has acquired during his incarceration to grow his own fruits and vegetables. He believes this knowledge will help him become self-sufficient and support a productive life after release. He was imprisoned following a fight with a friend that resulted in an assault conviction and is now nearing release.

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The Smart Agriculture Box is an award-winning innovation recognised at the 2023 Public Sector Innovation Awards under the Citizen-Focused Innovation Category.

It was developed by the Mpumalanga Department of Agriculture, Rural Development, Land and Environmental Affairs and replicated through the Centre for Public Service Innovation.