The Deputy Minister of Justice and Correctional Services, Nkosi Phathekile Holomisa, every community member had the duty to accept people out on parole and help them to reintegrate in their communities.
Holomisa was speaking during an imbizo that was called by the leader of the Tshivhase dynasty, Thovhele Kennedy Midiyavhathu Prince Tshivhase, in conjunction with the Department of Correctional Services and the KARA Heritage Institute on Thursday, 26 January, held at the Prince Thikhathali Tshivhase Stadium.
According to Holomisa, the latest statistics show that 66,5% of the youth in the country today are unemployed. "Many of these unemployed youths end up in jail for committing crime. During their incarceration, we teach them special skills, so they can sustain themselves when they get out of jail. Don't call them names. Let us support them and let them integrate peacefully with their communities," he said.
Thovhele Tshivhase said he had decided to partner with the Department of Correctional Services and other departments to help rehabilitate parolees, so that they could become productive members of the community who could work for themselves and refrain from committing crime again.
"I was very impressed with the MEC for Sports, Arts and Culture, Ms Nakedi Grace Kekana, when she said parolees should also be encouraged to participate in sporting activities. Let me call on the department to build tennis courts in rural communities too and not only in urban areas. As traditional leaders, let us join hands with the government to help parolees get integrated peacefully with our communities. The Department of Correctional Services teaches inmates specialised skills, and I am also encouraging the business community to utilise them," he said.
The occasion was also graced by Dr Mathole Motshekga of the KARA Heritage Institute, who called on Africans to go back to their roots. "Let's go back to our traditional ways of doing things and embrace our cultural values," he said.