Parolees give back to the community
LEBOWAKGOMO – The Mmashiba Disabled Day Care Centre in Lebowakgomo Zone A recently received donated freshly produced vegetables thanks to the efforts of Lebowakgomo Community Corrections under the Polokwane Management area, together with the Department of Justice and Constitutional Development and Ekhaya Lethemba.
Ms. Maria Sekgololo, care-giver at Mmashiba Disabled Day Care, who was over the moon following the noble gesture, expressed her gratitude when the vegetables were handed over to the facility.
The Department of Justice and Constitutional Development allocated Lebowakgomo Community Corrections a portion of land to utilize, where parolees plant tomatoes, mustard spinach, beetroot and green pepper.
Sachiel Nemafhohoni, Communications Manager for Polokwane Management area for Correctional Services, says this generosity is part of poverty alleviation through which the department’s Community Corrections division assists people who are underprivileged.
Nemafhohoni indicates the programme also affords parolees an opportunity to give back to the society, using skills they have acquired during their incarceration at their centres.
The programme has also helped several parolees start their own businesses as a way of reintegrating back to their respective communities.
It also serves to thwart myths that offenders would never leave their ways. The parolees also use the programme as a platform to discourage would-be criminals in their communities to reconsider and find better ways to develop their lives.
Ms. Sekgololo said she was grateful for the centre to be chosen amongst other disability facilities. “We feel very lucky and honoured,” smiled Sekgololo as she appreciated the gifts.
