Residents celebrate corrections week

The department of correctional services has encouraged residents of Mamelodi to play a role in rehabilitating offenders.

Advocate Moeketsi Mashibini of correctional services was addressing residents during a Corrections Week Imbizo at Ikageng community hall in Mamelodi East on Friday, September 29.

The department celebrated Corrections Week under the theme “Corrections is a societal responsibility” from September 24 to 30.

The event was attended by correctional services officials, SAPS, CPF, Vhathu Phanda community forum, Nellmapius Ward 15 task team, Chief Mahlangu, Chief Lekhuleni, parolees and residents of Mamelodi, Nellmapius and Eersterust.

Residents asked Mashibini questions and voiced their frustrations about problems they experienced with the department.

“The session is one of those weeks when the department showcases its programmes.

We believe rehabilitation is not only the responsibility of us alone, but also involves the community.

We want the community to be part [of it], so they can assist us in making sure that these offenders, when released, are welcomed back in society,” he said.

“The department has invested a lot of programmes in their rehabilitation and it is always unfair when parolees are released from prison for society to just stigmatise them.”

He said that these programmes include a reconstruction, cross-road and outside programme called Nicro, in which the department engages the family to maintain contact with the offender.

“The department is happy to see community members getting involved in these kinds of the programmes and want to see change in their community… accepting the offenders and working hand in hand with them,” he said.

Mashibini said in a programme called Nenisa, parolees are trained, given different skills to ensure they are rehabilitated before being released back into society for easier social reintegration.

“The department is faced with offenders who reoffend and for us to break that chain, we need community involvement… the community to work together with us.”

He said offenders have skills and qualifications some are lawyers but were struggling to find a job because of previous conviction.

“We are saying community members must open their arms and take these people back into society… accept them back in the community or they will relapse,” he pleaded..

Resident Jack Ngwenya said he was very happy to be part of the programme and had a lot to learn about parolees.

He said he learnt a lot from the session and would share the information he received with his neighbours.

“The community needs to stop stigmatising parolees and start treating treat them as members of the community as they are rehabilitated,” said Ngwenya.

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