Tears of emotion flowed down the cheeks of offenders and their victims when they came face to face in a ceremony organized for offenders to meet their victims and ask forgiveness.

This was during the Correctional Services Corrections Week function held at the University of Venda Stadium a fortnight ago. The function was meant for Limpopo, Mpumalanga and the North West region of the Department Correctional Services’ officers and other partnering stakeholders to highlight Correctional Services’ achievements and their contribution to a safer South Africa. The Department of Correctional Services celebrated the annual Corrections Week from 17-21 November 2008.

About 110 offenders from the Limpopo, Mpumalanga and the North West region had a day’s freedom and had a chance to speak with their victims and ask forgiveness.

In its third year of running, the campaign was launched in 2006 and has bridged the gap between victims and offenders and has led to the healing of old wounds. During the campaign, the department embarked on a national programme of projects and events held in all its regions. The aim was to impart information to South Africans about Correctional Services’ role as part of the criminal justice system and the government.

“It is aimed at mobilizing partnerships with stakeholders to strengthen corrections as a societal responsibility and encourage them to play a role in rehabilitation and re-integration,” said Mashudu Mathivha, spokesperson for the Thohoyandou Correctional Centre.

Mathivha said the department was committed to turning around and improving on its image among its clients for the better and also to forge partnerships with all its stakeholders towards realizing the ideals as set out in the White Paper and contributing to the overall strengthening of the criminal justice process.

“Our theme for our corrections week this year links up with Business Unusual: Giving offenders and victims a second chance - The Yellow Ribbon”.

Speaking during the celebrations in Thohoyandou, Ms Sharon Kunene, the deputy-commissioner for social reintegration in the Department of Correctional Services, urged communities to play a societal role and  make sure offenders are accepted and offer them forgiveness and provision of a second chance to all ex-offenders who sincerely desired to change for the better. “Rehabilitation of perpetrators is a key to the department and it is also a societal responsibility,” she said.

She said the department had developed a rehabilitation path for sentenced offenders, which is linked to the development of a sentence plan to ensure that offending behavior is addressed and also makes provision for services aimed at development and needs programmes.

“As part of the rehabilitation path, offenders need to understand the process of Restorative Justice and the value thereof on their rehabilitation and their successful reintegration back into the community which they offended or harmed,” added Kunene.

In a dramatic moment, an offender, Ndinawanga Maligana (19), and victim Donald Budeli, both from the rural village of Gondeni outside Thohoyandou, made peace when Maligana testified that he was no longer a thief and wanted to go back to school and learn as soon as he could be released from Thohoyandou Correctional Centre.  He was serving a year sentence for house breaking and theft. Maligana stole household property belonging to Budeli, such as a radio and a television, amongst others. He was a Grade 10 learner when he was arrested in 2007.

“When I was serving my sentence there, I learned about the life skills programme and understand I don’t deserve to continue with crime. I also went to church services conducted inside the prison,” said Maligana.

Donald Budeli, in his acceptance message, said he would forgive Maligana for what Maligana had done to him, after realizing he had changed his life when pastors confirmed to him that they preached the Word of God to him and that he had repented.

“He is of the same age as my daughter, who is completing grade 12 this year, and I hope he will go back to school and learn,” said Budeli.

Dean Alunamutwe Rannditsheni of Evangelical Lutheran Church in Thohoyandou urged people to forgive those who hurt them, so that they may be forgiven by God. However, Rannditsheni said the offender should speak up all evil he/she has done to the victim so that the victim can understand how serious the offender is about being forgiven.