Allexer Namundjembo
Structured sports activities promote discipline, self-esteem, and behavioural transformation, preparing inmates for reintegration in society.
This was the message from home affairs, immigration, safety and security minister Lucia Iipumbu during the official opening of the fourth edition of the SADC Corrections/Prisons/Penitentiary Services Sports and Cultural Games in Windhoek on Monday.
Iipumbu said the games are not only about competition but also about improving the physical and emotional health of correctional officers while supporting reform strategies and rehabilitation programmes across the region.
She referenced World Health Organisation (WHO) findings on the mental toll of correctional work, saying initiatives like the SADC Corrections Games are vital for officer wellbeing.
She welcomed participants from Angola, Eswatini, South Africa, Tanzania, Zambia, Zimbabwe, and Namibia, calling the country their “home away from home.”
She highlighted the role of sport in promoting resilience, teamwork, and fitness among those in one of the most stressful professions.
This year’s games are held under the theme “Fit to Serve, United for Victory.”
The event features football, netball, volleyball, tug of war, chess, darts, athletics, pool, and golf, with men and women competing across all categories.
The SADC Corrections Games started after resolutions passed at the 2003 SADC Ministerial Meeting on Corrections in Johannesburg and the 2005 CESCA Conference in Nairobi.
South Africa hosted the first edition in 2006, Botswana the second in 2015, and South Africa again in 2023.
In 2024, the SADC ministerial committee on politics, defence and security approved formal rules for the event, reinforcing its status as a recognised regional programme.
Iipumbu described the competition as a platform for regional unity and shared learning among correctional services.
