THOHOYANDOU - In an attempt to help provide an adequate learning environment for school children, twelve inmates at the Thohoyandou Central Prison have shown their softer side by volunteering to build three classrooms at Mutshalingwana Primary School near Matatshe.

Prison manager, Mr Ken "Tshilidzi" Bower, said they responded to an application made by the school late last year asking for assistance. The school does not have enough money for labour, since the community has only managed to raise R40 000 for the provision of the necessary material.

In appreciation of the unique project the National Commissioner of Correctional Services, Mr Linda Mti, visited the school last week Wednesday, where he expressed his feelings about the situation. Mti commended the prison management for responding positively to the school's needs while also praising the inmates who voluntarily offered their services in an attempt to improve the education of the children. He urged community members to assist the department by accepting inmates as normal citizens of the country and helping them to continue with a normal life when they are released from prison.

Mti said he was moved when he saw the children attending school under the trees, while inmates were busy building the three classrooms. "This is the beginning of our response to the call to alleviate poverty. We will try to find more volunteers who will be available to help in this job. We are not going to force any inmate as this is done in a spirit of volunteerism," said Mti.

The Minister of Correctional Services, Mr Ben Skosana, during a media briefing in Parliament indicated that the department will deploy prisoner-generated goods and services as well as prison labour for poverty and disaster relief and rural development.

Meanwhile, both Aubrey Molakeng (37) from Bloemfontein and Thilivhali Shavhani (32) of Phiphidi said they took the project as part of their practical work. Both Molakeng and Shavhani said they would use their skills to survive when they come out of prison.

The circuit manager, Mr Ronald Mutsila and the school principal, Gladys Gavhi, said that they were very excited about the project and that they would collect more funds and ask the prison management to assist in the building of an extra classroom later.