By Charmaine Ndlela

President Cyril Ramaphosa on Wednesday officially launched the Nelson Mandela Rules Training Academy at the Drakenstein Correctional Facility between Paarl and Franschhoek in the Western Cape, saying the facility marked a new chapter in the country’s history.

Formerly known as Victor Verster Prison, the site was the last place Nelson Mandela was imprisoned before his release in 1990.

The academy is the first of its kind in Africa and forms part of correctional services’ efforts to adopt and embody the principles of the United Nations Standard Minimum Rules for the Treatment of Prisoners — known as the Nelson Mandela Rules — adopted by the UN General Assembly in 2015.

The training academy will serve as a centre for learning and rehabilitation, helping to shape improved correctional practises.

“Having spent 27 years in prison, Mandela championed the fair and humane treatment of all people. Mandela believed offenders deserve dignity, respect and humane treatment, and that justice is measured not by how harshly punishment is administered, but by how faithfully human dignity is upheld, even in difficult circumstances,” said Ramaphosa in his keynote address.

The facility will serve South African officials as well as the wider global corrections community.

Ramaphosa noted that visitors to the academy are welcomed by artwork created by offenders, saying, “This is not incidental. It is deeply symbolic. It reflects the very essence of rehabilitation. It is about unlocking human potential, creativity and self-worth.”

He added, “The furniture that fills this academy has also been produced by offenders within our correctional system. Every table, every chair, every crafted piece speaks to the power of skills development, meaningful work and the desire for change.”

Speaking about the facility’s transformation, Ramaphosa said, “Today we open a repurposed, renovated and expanded facility transformed into a modern training academy. One cannot help but marvel at the quality of workmanship. It fills me with pride to appreciate work of such high standard being produced by local hands, by men and women within our correctional system.

“The training academy will be a success through partnership with the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime, the custodian of the Nelson Mandela Rules. The academy will ensure that training, practise and policy are guided by the values Mandela stood for,” Ramaphosa said.

“This facility symbolises the humanisation of corrections, the elevation of dignity, and the global pursuit of justice rooted in humanity.”

He also paid tribute to correctional services officials.

“Every day, correctional officials operate under difficult and sometimes dangerous conditions. Their responsibility extends beyond custody and security. They are tasked with transforming lives and instilling hope where there is often despair.”

Acknowledging challenges in the sector, Ramaphosa said, “We appreciate and acknowledge the challenges posed by overcrowding and resource constraints. However, I take great encouragement from the efforts within the department to advance self-sufficiency and sustainability, skills development and productive work, ensuring that correctional facilities become places of rehabilitation rather than mere containment.”

The centre was unveiled on the 36th anniversary of Mandela’s release from prison on 11 February 1990.

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