{"id":80909,"date":"2025-11-06T17:39:29","date_gmt":"2025-11-06T17:39:29","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/eswatini\/all-news\/from-death-row-to-degree-holder-transforming-lives"},"modified":"2025-11-06T17:46:27","modified_gmt":"2025-11-06T17:46:27","slug":"from-death-row-to-degree-holder-transforming-lives","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/eswatini\/all-news\/from-death-row-to-degree-holder-transforming-lives","title":{"rendered":"From Death Row to Degree Holder Transforming Lives"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><span style=\"color: #ff6600\"><strong>Africa-Press &#8211; Eswatini. <\/strong><\/span><b>His Majesty\u2019s Correctional Services (HMCS) has celebrated one of its most remarkable rehabilitation successes \u2013 the transformation of a man who entered prison with only a Grade 4 education into a bachelor\u2019s degree graduate.<\/b><br \/>\n<b>Boyce Bhekinkosiyezulu Gama,<\/b> aged 57, arrived at the then prison in the early 1990s before the institution adopted its modern correctional model. Convicted of the murder of public transport businessman <b>Malangeni Dlamini<\/b> of Malangeni Bus Service near Siphofaneni, Gama was sentenced to death in 1993.<\/p>\n<p>For eight years he lived under the weight of a pending execution \u2013 until <b>His Majesty King Mswati III<\/b> granted him royal pardon in 2001, commuting his sentence to life imprisonment. By that time, Gama had already undergone a personal turning point: in <b>August 1997<\/b>, he had converted to Christianity and written to the Dlamini family to ask for forgiveness.<\/p>\n<p>Speaking during a media briefing at <b>Matsapha Correctional Centre<\/b> on Tuesday, where HMCS was announcing the conditional release of 12 inmates, Gama said the family\u2019s acceptance of his apology gave him \u201cemotional and spiritual freedom\u201d.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cOnce the family forgave me, I was no longer imprisoned in my heart. I could finally begin to rebuild myself,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n<p><b>Education Behind Bars<\/b><\/p>\n<p>When Gama entered the correctional system, he was a 22-year-old man who had never progressed beyond <b>Grade 4<\/b>. Today, he is preparing to receive a <b>Bachelor\u2019s Degree in Theology, Psychology and Biblical Studies<\/b> from a United States-based institution, in addition to several diplomas obtained while in custody.<\/p>\n<p>He credits the HMCS rehabilitation and education programmes for enabling him to study, transform his thinking and develop a new purpose in life.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cMany people think HMCS programmes do not work because some inmates reoffend and return. But it is not the system that fails \u2013 it is individuals who choose not to apply what they learn,\u201d he argued.<\/p>\n<p>He compared rehabilitation to spiritual teaching: \u201cEven God does not force anyone to follow His ways. It is a personal choice.\u201d<\/p>\n<p><b>A Changed Institution<\/b><\/p>\n<p>Gama\u2019s journey reflects the evolution of His Majesty\u2019s Correctional Services, which has shifted from a purely punitive prison model to a correctional and human-development approach focused on <b>skills, education, faith, and reintegration<\/b>.<\/p>\n<p>HMCS now offers literacy classes, vocational skills, counselling, agricultural training, and accredited academic opportunities \u2013 all designed to reduce reoffending and produce productive citizens upon release.<\/p>\n<p>Gama says he is living proof that the system works when inmates commit to change.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI do not want to disappoint God, Their Majesties, or HMCS. They have shown me mercy. Now I must honour that mercy by helping others stay out of prison.\u201d<\/p>\n<p><b>Life After Release<\/b><\/p>\n<p>Although his life sentence was conditionally relaxed, Gama remains under strict supervision and is expected to complete his sentence in <b>2035<\/b>. He hopes to use the remaining years to serve communities across Eswatini by speaking especially to young people about crime prevention, drug abuse and moral values.<\/p>\n<p>He has requested permission from HMCS to continue community outreach work in schools and Tinkhundla centres, saying he wants his past to be a lesson for others.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIf I can stop even one child from ending up where I was, then my life will have meaning,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n<p><b>Release Conditions<\/b><\/p>\n<p>Under the terms of his conditional release, Gama must:<\/p>\n<p>Report regularly to correctional programme officers<\/p>\n<p>Perform authorised community service<\/p>\n<p>Remain crime-free and avoid weapons<\/p>\n<p>Stay within approved residential boundaries<\/p>\n<p>Surrender his passport and avoid foreign travel<\/p>\n<p>Refrain from political activity, public speaking or media interviews without permission<\/p>\n<p>Avoid all criminal associations or disorderly conduct<\/p>\n<p>Despite being only two years away from retirement age, Gama says he believes it is never too late to rebuild. \u201cI came in with nothing \u2013 not even education. I am leaving with a purpose. That is the power of forgiveness and correction.\u201d<\/p>\n<p><strong>For More News And Analysis About <span style=\"color: #ff6600\">Eswatini<\/span> Follow <span style=\"color: #ff6600\">Africa-Press<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Africa-Press &#8211; Eswatini. His Majesty\u2019s Correctional Services (HMCS) has celebrated one of its most remarkable rehabilitation successes \u2013 the transformation of a man who entered prison with only a Grade 4 education into a bachelor\u2019s degree graduate. Boyce Bhekinkosiyezulu Gama, aged 57, arrived at the then prison in the early 1990s before the institution adopted [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":84,"featured_media":80908,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2,12],"tags":[249],"class_list":["post-80909","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-all-news","category-policy","tag-eswatini"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO Premium plugin v26.1 (Yoast SEO v27.0) - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-premium-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>From Death Row to Degree Holder Transforming Lives - Eswatini<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"His Majesty\u2019s Correctional Services (HMCS) has celebrated one of its most remarkable rehabilitation successes \u2013 the t ...\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/eswatini\/all-news\/from-death-row-to-degree-holder-transforming-lives\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"From Death Row to Degree Holder Transforming Lives\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"His Majesty\u2019s Correctional Services (HMCS) has celebrated one of its most remarkable rehabilitation successes \u2013 the t ...\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/eswatini\/all-news\/from-death-row-to-degree-holder-transforming-lives\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Eswatini\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:publisher\" content=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/AfricaPressTunisiaa\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2025-11-06T17:39:29+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2025-11-06T17:46:27+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/static.africa-press.net\/eswatini\/sites\/33\/2025\/11\/sm_1762438501.325623.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"1080\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"720\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"cfeditoren\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"cfeditoren\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"3 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/eswatini\/all-news\/from-death-row-to-degree-holder-transforming-lives#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/eswatini\/all-news\/from-death-row-to-degree-holder-transforming-lives\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"cfeditoren\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/eswatini\/#\/schema\/person\/068c7ab4e9634ae78ec5d54ec46598bb\"},\"headline\":\"From Death Row to Degree Holder Transforming Lives\",\"datePublished\":\"2025-11-06T17:39:29+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2025-11-06T17:46:27+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/eswatini\/all-news\/from-death-row-to-degree-holder-transforming-lives\"},\"wordCount\":641,\"commentCount\":0,\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/eswatini\/all-news\/from-death-row-to-degree-holder-transforming-lives#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/static.africa-press.net\/eswatini\/sites\/33\/2025\/11\/sm_1762438501.325623.jpg\",\"keywords\":[\"Eswatini\"],\"articleSection\":[\"all news\",\"policy\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"CommentAction\",\"name\":\"Comment\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/eswatini\/all-news\/from-death-row-to-degree-holder-transforming-lives#respond\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/eswatini\/all-news\/from-death-row-to-degree-holder-transforming-lives\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/eswatini\/all-news\/from-death-row-to-degree-holder-transforming-lives\",\"name\":\"From Death Row to Degree Holder Transforming Lives - 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