Serving five years behind bars was not the only obstacle in Lwando Ciliwe’s way to fulfilling his desires.
But a little forethought may have saved him a lot of pain.
Serving five years behind bars was not the only obstacle in Lwando Ciliwe’s way to fulfilling his desires.
But a little forethought may have saved him a lot of pain.
Lwando Ciliwe is a 27-year-old man who lives in East London’s Cambridge township. He was convicted of assault at the age of 16. After serving his sentence he went to Ithembelihle High School in Port Elizabeth and completed his matric.
Then he obtained four national certificates from different institutions in East London, including paramedic, nursing and basic home care.
But the biggest challenge arose when he started applying for jobs. He got the same response from all government departments: we do not employ people with criminal records.
“When they first told me that I felt so embarrassed and ashamed of what I did because my peers were
hired and I was left out.” He said he applied for nursing and policing posts, among others, and received
the same response.
Ndiphe Pitana, a police officer at Mdantsane, said to him “once a criminal, always a criminal”. His view is that people with criminal records cannot be trusted. However, he was not against the idea of a “second
chance”.
Bongani Khobeni, an IT specialist, said that ex-offenders should try other means of getting jobs, like applying through a temporary employment agency or a day labour agency. “Although there are fewer benefits in temporary jobs they are a first step to a brighter future,” he said.
Lwando said he does not understand this argument because he recently did volunteer work at Frere
Hospital as a mortuary attendant but when it was time to hire people permanently he was not considered.
He also worked voluntarily as a peer educator and HIV/Aids counsellor at St Dominic’s Hospital. He is now looking for a job in private ambulances.
Grant Msongelwa, a correctional officer at Mdantsane prison, said the nature of the conviction should be
considered.
For instance a bank cannot hire a person convicted of armed robbery. Mbongeni Baninzi, a social worker at National Institute for Crime Prevention and Reintegration of Offenders (Nicro) dealing with offender integration, said that lack of knowledge was a problem for most people, including Lwando.
“His criminal record should have been removed five years after his release,” Baninzi said. According to Baninzi after five years an ex-offender has the right to apply for pardon from the minister of correctional services according to section 84 (2) (J), act 108 of 1996 and forms are available at all Nicro offices.
Nicro helps and advises ex-convicts and their families. “We have three arms; there is diversion, alternative
sentencing and offender reintegration and we work with both adults and juveniles.
Prisoners who want to reform undergo a programme and if they prove that they have changed their cases can be reviewed.
But the seriousness of the offence is always considered,” says Banzi. “We are concerned with the wellbeing
of offenders and ex-offenders that is why we don’t support death sentence and the police’s right to kill.
