13 Nov 2022

Over 70 Mahalapye Prison inmates have graduated from a three-months Christian course aimed at moulding them into responsible and God-fearing citizens.

ALPHA course is one of the rehabilitation tools for inmates in Botswana and over 65 other countries around the world.

The director of the course, Ms Bekezela Maunze explained that ALPHA was an acronym for Anyone or All, Laughter or Love, Pastor or Pie, Help and Ask any question, noting that the course taught Christianity.

Ms Maunze also noted that the course started in the United Kingdom in 1994 and was introduced in Botswana in 2013 while at Mahalapye Prison it was first conducted in 2016.

Ms Maunze explained that their mission was to teach all incarcerated people love and forgiveness as well as their families and the prison staff. 

She added that they assisted prisoners to become productive citizens, adding that they were non-denominational.

Ms Maunze said the courses holistic introduction to Christianity provided prisoners with the opportunity to discover for themselves the meaning of life.

“A transformed and disciplined prisoner is easier to rehabilitate and reintegrate into society because he has a conscience and is responsible for his actions,” said Ms Maunze.

She noted that some of their graduates ended up becoming missionaries, mentors and leaders, both in and outside prison.

Ms Maunze also said one of the advantages of the course was linking inmates with the real world through visits.

She said prison guards and personnel were also not left out in the trainings as they were the new parents, friends and relatives of the incarcerated.

For his part, Senior Superintendent Phetogo Mokgobi said the country was facing a gender-based violence challenge and urged the graduates to change the situation through what they learned in the course.

She said one of their mandates was to reintegrate prisoners with their victims after they were released as a way of building a strong and peaceful nation. 

She also encouraged inmates to be strong, focused and determined about their future.

Giving testimonies, the inmates said they once lived in the dark, but were now transformed.

Furthermore, the inmates expressed gratitude towards the leaders who strived to restore their inner peace and encourage them to accept their mistakes and forgive themselves in order to be able to move on with life. BOPA