A step in the right direction

Awaiting trial prisoners in Durban. Pic: Daily Maverick

LAND Party welcome the decision from the minister of Justice and Correctional Services to release prisoners as one of the government's strategies to fight COVID_19. This is the brave and progressive move in the right direction. Truth be told our correctional facilities do not have the capacity to deal with COVID_19 cases within our correctional centres. Gone are the days of apartheid where prisons were used to torture and undermine human rights. As a country, we have migrated from the prison system and embraced correctional centres.

It is only right that awaiting trial prisoners of 'soft' crimes are released. People must remember that the health of a prison community is correlated to the health of the community around it. Making hard decisions for the greater good is a sign of good leadership. END