The National Commissioner of Correctional Services, Makgothi Thobakgale, has cautioned newly qualified prison wardens against involvement in smuggling contraband into correctional facilities.

He addressed the message during the passing-out parade of 491 trainees at the Zonderwater Training College in Cullinan, Pretoria, on Thursday. The group will be deployed to correctional centres across the country from next week.

The cohort includes trainees from Limpopo, Mpumalanga, the North West, Free State and Northern Cape. Of the 491, there are 345 men, 146 women, and five trainees with disabilities.

Thobakgale stressed the importance of professionalism, discipline and integrity, warning that any involvement in smuggling would endanger both officials and inmates while undermining the department’s mandate of rehabilitation.

The Correctional Services Warden programme involves a combination of academic study and practical workplace training, with external verification conducted by the Safety and Security Sector Education and Training Authority (SASSETA).

The commissioner also confirmed that the training programme was not without tragedy. Two trainees lost their lives – one in a car accident while travelling home for the weekend, and another who took his own life at the college. A third trainee withdrew from the programme.

Despite the challenges, the majority successfully completed their training and are now set to begin their duties in correctional centres nationwide.