Johannesburg – The second cohort of female inmates has graduated from the internationally recognised Twinning Project Training Project with Kaizer Chiefs Football Club.
The Department of Correctional Services, in partnership with Kaizer Chiefs and the Twinning Project, today, Wednesday, 10 December 2025, celebrated the milestone in offender rehabilitation at a ceremony at the Johannesburg Correctional Facility.
The Twinning Project equips participants with football coaching skills and life-orientation training, strengthening their prospects for successful reintegration upon release.
The initiative supports the Department of Correctional Services’ rehabilitation mandate by fostering personal development, reducing idle time behind bars, and building pathways to future employability.
The programme has helped challenge long-standing stereotypes while boosting self-confidence and offering a renewed sense of purpose.
Acting National Commissioner of Correctional Services, Tlabo Thokolo, said the graduation reflects what strong external partnerships can achieve in the rehabilitation space.
Thokolo said: “Evidence-based interventions such as the Twinning Project open doors that were once closed to inmates.”
, Freud Hilton MBE, CEO of the Twinning Project and FIFA Foundation representative, congratulated the graduates and emphasised the broader life lessons embedded in the programme.
Hilton stated: “Sport is not just a game, but a teacher. It cultivates discipline, courage, and humility, qualities that are essential for rebuilding one’s future.”
The same sentiments were echoed by Kaizer Chiefs Marketing and Commercial Director, Jessica Motaung, who applauded the inmates’ dedication and willingness to embrace personal transformation.
“Football builds strong, resilient personalities,” shared Motaung.
“We hope these skills help you return to your communities more confident and better equipped to chart a new path.”
One of the graduates, offender Matshidiso Mahlatse, expressed her gratitude to the department, coaches, and partners for creating a supportive learning environment.
She said the programme gave her valuable tools, teamwork, discipline, and technical coaching knowledge that she believes will shape her future.
“We need to heal from our hardships and focus on self-development,” said Mahlatse.
“This programme has shown us that standing up for ourselves is possible.”
The latest cohort of inmates to graduate from the project follows the inaugural group in April 2025.
A third intake is scheduled for early 2026.
Graduates have received FIFA Foundation competency certificates, opening doors to accredited coaching opportunities locally and internationally.
