Africa-Press – Lesotho. TheMinister of Public Works Hon. Lebohang Monaheng handed over the new Maseru Central Correctional institution building to the Minister of Law, Justice and Constitutional Affairs Professor Nqosa Mahao on Monday.
According to the Ministry of Law, Justice and Constitutional Affairs Chief Economic Planner Seoaholimo Phorisi, the refurbishment of the Maseru Central
Correctional institution commenced in 2006 and this was the last building to be rehabilitated. The overall project he said amounted to M106 million. Addressing
the media Lesotho Correctional Service (LCS) acting Commissioner Sir Chabana Joel Majara said detention is a new norm for Basotho making an anecdote of when
a thief had stolen cattle in the past, saying they were not imprisoned but were only instructed to pay back by doubling the number of cattle they stole.
He said correctional services were established when the population increased because the number of perpetrators also increased. “That is when we were forced to keep thieves in one place, in their respective
districts as they were increasing rapidly. This let to shortage of accommodation, leading to the previous ministers requesting inclusion of correctional services in the national budget to allocate for the refurbishment
of the facilities just like in other countries,” Majara said. He indicated that prisons should not be stinking places where buckets are used as toilets but there should be electricity and water supply.
A good infrastructure must be provided for prisoners’ wellbeing because they are still
part of us,” he said. He further explained that Maseru Central Correctional Institution is the second prison that has mechanical control that enables all movements happening in the compound.
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