Ramaphosa launches first Nelson Mandela rules training academy in Africa

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, describing it as 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.

The academy — the first of its kind in Africa — marks a turning point in correctional services’ efforts to adopt and implement 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 facility will serve as a centre for learning and rehabilitation aimed at strengthening correctional practice.

“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