There is life beyond imprisonment, said the director of the Kutama Sinthumule maximum security prison, Mr Lazarus Ngcwonwani, during the official launching of the book of an ex-offender, Mr Tshifhiwa Given Mukwevho, at the prison's premises last Friday.

He said that regardless of the length of a jail sentence, almost each offender would go home one day. When the time for parole comes, like it came for Mukwevho, he can do one of two things. He can either go back to a life of crime or he can do something positive about his life. "He (Mukwevho) chose the latter," said Ngcwonwani.

He added that as a correctional facility, they believe that people can change. "We want to change the negative impression among South Africans that ‘once an offender, always an offender’ (is true). We want to replace this impression with a message that says a correctional centre is a place of new beginnings, a place that changes a person from being an offender to becoming a law-abiding citizen," he added.

The book launch comes after Mukwevho, who is now out on parole after serving 10 years in prison, wrote a collection of short stories, entitled "A Traumatic Revenge". He spent all these years in prison after being found guilty on several counts of breaking into shops in the Louis Trichardt area between 1998 and 2000.

Some of the short stories in the book include Jigsaw in the sky, Son of Leah, A traumatic revenge, Strange demise, We have seen tsoliyo, Hannah's daughter and Music to the ears.

Mukwevho (27) was released on parole in November 2010. He said he wanted to lead by example, so that other prisoners could walk in his footsteps. "I realized that there is no life in prison. Sometimes we do bad things unintentionally," he said.

He added that joy is never something that enters one's life automatically. "One has to create it by means of doing positive things," he said.

Mukwevho added: "All my former inmates must know that there are lots of challenges out here. Once you are outside, never consider what bad things people may say about you. Strive to do good things to beautify your life. Never expect that it will be easy for you to get employment when you are released. You must not be tempted to go back to prison."

He said the perception exists that parole officers are against ex-offenders. "Parole officers are not against us but are there to show us the way. What is important is to understand each other. Respect them and they will respect you too," Mukwevho said.

He thanked Zoutnet, publishers of the Zoutpansberger and the Limpopo Mirror newspapers, for giving him a second chance in life. "They allowed me to write for their papers, which to me meant a second chance to reclaim my life," said Mukwevho.

Mukwevho, who matriculated in 2006 while in prison, is on the verge of completing his Bachelor of Arts degree in Languages and Literature through the University of South Africa.

Tshifhiwa has already started with his second book and hopes to have it ready by February next year. He resides in Madombidzha village in the Sinthumule area.