Learners encouraged to stay away from crime
KwaThema- On Friday, learners at Lefa-Ifa Secondary School learnt all about life in prison.
Ex-prisoners and founders of Movement for Change, as well as officers from Nigel Correctional Services visited the school to talk about life behind bars.
The talk was mostly targeted at male learners.
Speaking to the learners, Vuyelwa Mpemvu from correctional services, said life in prison is not easy.
She says prisoners are forced to wake up at 5am everyday and are forced to sleep at 2pm.
“Prisoners’ freedom is limited, they are told what to do and when to do it,” she says.
She then told learners about the different prison gangs.
Mpemvu advised the learners not to have the gangs’ tattoos inked on their bodies as they have different meanings in prison.
She encouraged them to choose their friends wisely and to avoid becoming friends with people who will land them in jail.
“Criminal behaviour starts at an early age,” she says.
Musa Zwane, an ex-convict who spent 15 years in prison for hijacking and other crimes, encouraged learners to study hard and avoid criminal activities.
“I was arrested at the age of 15 and I believe I could have done something useful with my life,” says Zwane.
He adds that his life has not been any better since his release from prison a year ago.
“The community still labels you a criminal and they do not feel at ease around someone from prison,” he says.
Zwane concluded by encouraging the learners to strive for a better education and to stay away from crime.
