Serving the people who serve time
"Too many people get discouraged easily, we must remember that life is a gift and as long as we are still alive, there is still hope"
POLOKWANE – Communications Manager at Polokwane Correctional Services, Zandile Mabunda, says working with felons has taught her a great deal.
Being an only child, Zandile grew up in Giyani where she matriculated before furthering her studies through the University of South Africa (Unisa), where she obtained a BA degree majoring in communication and psychology as well as a certificate in HIV counselling.
Following a four-year stint at Government Communications and Information Systems in Mpumalanga, she began working for the Department of Correctional Services in 2011. “My role is to market the department’s aims, including rehabilitation programmes and successful reintegration of offenders back to society. I am also acting communications manager at the Thohoyandou Correctional Centre,” she explains.
A typical day for Zandile involves handling internal communications and informing all staff of the latest information about the department, media monitoring (scanning all print media in which the department is covered), meeting with stakeholders and arranging media interviews if they have any issues to address.
She says the best thing about working at the with offenders is when they give back to the community by showing remorse and assisting the victims of their crimes. “This shows reconciliation between the two parties, showing that rehabilitation does take place and that the department is doing its job,” she explains.
Zandile says the department has built houses for victims of crimes, as well as for disadvantaged families in the province with the help of parolees, in partnership with many stakeholders. “To me this has been the highlight of rehabilitation, showing that it does happen as long as we work together.”
She is a big fan of choral music and is a choir member at Manna Tabernacle of Witness Church. She also loves reading magazines and newspapers, singing and photography.
“Too many people get discouraged easily, we must remember that life is a gift and as long as we are still alive, there is still hope,” she concludes.
