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“Education is the key to success”- say offenders

"After serving my sentence I want to go out and assist people with the management of finances. I want to make an impact to the lives of our people"

MBOMBELA – Being behind bars did not stop three offenders from paving the path to a brighter future. The trio from Medium B Correctional Centre were excited to receive their certificates from the University of South Africa (Unisa).

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Lewis Darryl Claude (35) from Westbury in Gauteng, was 20 years old and only had grade nine when he was convicted for murder. However, he is now a qualified charted accountant.”I never stopped dreaming of a brighter future. In 2007 I completed matric at Kutama Correctional Centre. I always had a passion for accounting and numbers. In matric I performed so well in accounting and this gave me the opportunity to enroll for the degree, which I completed in record time,” Claude said.

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In 2009 he registered for a BCom accounting degree at Unisa and graduated cum laude after obtaining 25 distinctions.

He registered for honours in financial accounting and completed it in 2016. All offenders received assistance from NFSAS and family members. Access to the Internet was one of the biggest challenges the offenders faced.

 

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