The University of South Africa (UNISA) held a career day exhibition for female inmates at the Gender Responsive Centre, formerly the Female Correctional Centre, in Atteridgeville, Pretoria, on Thursday, 13 February 2025.

The initiative, organised in partnership with the Department of Correctional Services (DCS) and It’s Possible for All, a non-profit organisation, provided academic guidance, addressed administrative queries, and facilitated dialogue on the transformative role of education.

Attendees included incarcerated students and correctional officials. During the event, the university donated 100 academic books to the prison library.

South Africa has seen a dramatic increase in the number of female inmates over the past few years. In 2023/24, the country’s female inmate population stood at 4,641, representing 3% of the total prison population and a significant 24.6% increase from 2021/22.

This concerning trend, with the female prison population rising faster than the general inmate population during this period, underscores the urgency of gender-responsive interventions.

Advocate Patricia Masinga-Thobejane, Head of the Gender Responsive Centre, welcomed the initiative, stating, “Beautiful moments in life cannot be seen or touched; they are felt by the heart”.

Advocate Masinga-Thobejane shared that the centre also offers vocational training through its beauty salon, farm, horse ranch, and tuck shop, aimed at equipping inmates with practical skills for reintegration into society.