The Standerton Correctional Centre had an opening ceremony for its Zuzicebo Senior Secondary School and bakery on April 30.
These additions to the correctional centre provide secondary schooling for offenders. The bakery assists with the department’s self-sustainability because it will supply the Bethal and Witbank management areas’ correctional facilities.
The ceremony was commemorated with a plaque unveiling by the national commissioner of the Department of Correctional Services (DCS), Makgothi Samuel Thobakgale, the regional commissioner of Limpopo, Mpumalanga and North West (LMN), Tlabo Thokolo, deputy regional commissioner Takalani Mashamba and the area commissioner of the Bethal management area, Abel Mashaba.
Representatives of the local Department of Education, stakeholders, the media and DCS officials took a walkabout of the school and bakery.
The Zuzicebo Senior Secondary School began operating on January 15. The school has been part of the building structure since the upgrading of Standerton Correctional Centre in 2019.
There are classes for grades Eight and Nine. Every year, a grade will be added until Grade 12. The Zuzicebo Senior Secondary School for offenders will be a fully fledged school by 2028. There are 41 learners, eight educators and four officials (two security and two administrative officials).
“In our new financial year, we wish to add more educators and work with the Department of Basic Education to improve the school’s offerings. We have a relationship with a neighbouring school when we need assistance, which has been a great benefit,” Thobakgale said.
He stressed that rehabilitation is a societal responsibility, “With all our programmes, we reach out to surrounding communities and work with them to ensure we rehabilitate our offenders.”
The bakery is fully equipped and functioning with its industrial dough mixers, scales, compactors and cutters, baking ovens/provers, storage racks and room, steel working tables and more.
Thirty offenders work in the bakery. Fifteen work per rotated shift, with four officials keeping guard. They bake bread continuously, with around 2 400 loaves baked daily.
The bakery provides bread to nine correctional facilities and complies with safety regulations. The bread feeds around 5 336 offenders.
The Standerton Correctional Centre has its own farming land, with around 42ha of maize plantations, which supply other correctional facilities.
“This sends a message that we work as an integrated department,” Thobakgale said.
The centre falls under the Bethal management area. The bakery cost around R3.5m and has saved around R3.1m in less than three years of operation.
“The savings we make pay for the establishment of the bakery. It proves to be a strategic investment,” Thobakgale said.
The aim is for the correctional centres to become more sustainable while equipping offenders with knowledge and skills for when they leave and return to society.
“We have officially opened these two enterprises. The first is the school that operates under the regulations of basic education. Second is the bakery, which is linked to our food service kitchen facility to provide rations to our offenders.”
Thobakgale said these offenders are learning skills they can use in society as food handlers.
“This is a big day for our officials and offenders. We have added two enterprises to the scope of rehabilitation in corrections.”
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