Durban — It was a scene of joy as offenders from the KwaZulu-Natal Region met at Durban Westville Hall to officially compete in the 12th edition of the Funda Mzantsi Championship competition on Tuesday.
This initiative was started by the National Library of South Africa (NLSA) to encourage a culture of reading. The NLSA encouraged schools and communities to establish book clubs and then started a national competition in 2010 to reward those doing well.
The National Department of Correctional Services deemed the programme fit as an instrument of rehabilitation and in 2013 allowed offenders to be part of the competition.
Thirty-one book clubs started battling it out in the regional competition running from on Tuesday until Thursday. A total of 229 offenders will be competing in reading, spelling bee, debate and book review. The languages are English, Zulu, Afrikaans, Xhosa and Sesotho.
The book to be reviewed is written by inmate Sthokozile Magwaza, 61. The book is titled Isibuko Sempilo.
Magwaza, who has been in the Westville prison for 12 years for murder, said she was inspired to write through this initiative.
Alpha Ngcobo from the Department of Sports, Arts and Culture thanked the Department of Correctional Services for the partnership.
“As a department, we must take such projects seriously as they work in uplifting lives. Being involved shows that there is no competition amongst departments, but there is unity.”
Daily News