SADC Prison Bosses Resolve to Boost Intelligence Capabilities, Detect Threats and Improve Regional Security

NOMAZULU MOYO|June 3, 2025

SECURITY CONFERENCE: The officials gathered in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania, for the Annual Regional Conference of Heads of Corrections, Prisons, and Penitentiary Services, under the theme “Intelligence Gathering for Early Warning: The Role of Corrections/Prisons in the SADC Peace and Security Architecture”. Photo: Supplied

Top prison officials from across Southern Africa have resolved to boost intelligence capabilities in prisons to help detect threats and support the region’s peace and security efforts.

They gathered in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania, from May 28 to 30, 2025, for the Annual Regional Conference of Heads of Corrections, Prisons, and Penitentiary Services.

The conference was organised by the Southern African Development Community (SADC), with support from the European Union-funded ECESPA Programme, under the theme “Intelligence Gathering for Early Warning: The Role of Corrections/Prisons in the SADC Peace and Security Architecture”.

A statement by SADC said the event was essential for “advancing intelligence capabilities in prisons to help detect threats and support the region’s peace and security efforts.”

***SHARED RESPONSIBILITY: The Commissioner General of the Tanzania Prison Service, Jeremiah Yoram Katungu, stressed the shared responsibility in correctional services. Photo: Supplied***

Commissioner General of the Tanzania Prison Service, Jeremiah Yoram Katungu, opened the conference by stressing the shared responsibility in correctional services. “Corrections are not just about confinement. They are about rehabilitation, reintegration, and transformation,” he said. “We must ensure that those leaving our facilities return to society as law-abiding citizens.”

Professor Kula I. Theletsane, SADC’s Director of Politics, Defence, and Security Affairs, echoed this point. “Our prisons are rich sources of intelligence,” he said. “They must be recognised as strategic hubs for security, not just places of detention.”

Tanzania’s Deputy Minister for Home Affairs, Honourable Daniel Baran Sillo, officially opened the conference. He warned that without proper support, rehabilitated prisoners could fall back into crime due to stigma and lack of community acceptance. “Rehabilitation doesn’t end at release,” Sillo said. “We must build bridges between prisons and communities.”

INTELLIGENCE: South African National Commissioner of Correctional Services, Makgothi Thobakgale, at the Conference. The officials resolved to boost intelligence capabilities in prisons to help detect threats and support the region’s peace and security efforts. Photo: Supplied

The conference reviewed the 2021–2025 Corrections Strategic Plan and proposed key steps for the future:

Create clear guidelines for intelligence gathering in prisons
Train staff on deradicalization and threat detection
Improve information-sharing between prisons and security agencies

A SADC statement added: “By strengthening intelligence in corrections, we enhance regional safety, promote human rights, and ensure justice systems contribute to lasting peace.”

The meeting served as a key platform for strengthening prison reforms and building strategies to improve security across the region.