THREE years ago, Sindisiwe Manqele was making headlines for all the wrong reasons.
But on Friday, Nkululeko “Flabba” Habedi’s killer finally had something to be proud of.
She was among 127 convicted criminals from prisons across Gauteng who graduated with UNIVERSITY qualifications!
In an exclusive interview with eNCA, Sindisiwe said she understood a lot of people were hurt by the murder of her boyfriend and former Skwatta Camp member Flabba.
She is currently serving a 12-year sentence for the 2015 murder.
Sindisiwe, who received an honours degree in business at a ceremony held at Boksburg Prison in Ekurhuleni, told the news channel: “There are a lot of wrongs I need to right. This is me trying to make up for the wrongs I have done.”
She said she was passionate about education and wanted to leave prison a better person.
“I want to do better and live a better life. I was studying even before I was incarcerated. I was doing my honours in business.
“I’m just taking it from where I was and continuing with that because I’ve got little siblings who look up to me.”
Sindisiwe said she was working hard to change the way people saw her.
“I don’t want to be Sindi with the negative.
“There should be a positive to Sindi. I don’t want to be known as Sindi the bhantinti (prisoner).
“I want to be Sindi the advocate,” she said.
Justice and Correctional Services Minister Michael Masutha led the graduation ceremony and opened a new school at the prison.
This year’s offenders’ graduation event saw one inmate receiving a masters degree in tax law while 126 others were awarded certificates, diplomas, bachelors and honours degrees.
Masutha said education was very important for Mzansi’s development as a nation.
“The department believes through education, offenders are presented with an opportunity to acquire knowledge, skills, techniques and information which will enable them to know their rights and their duties towards their families, society and the nation.”
He said one of the department’s core missions was to rehabilitate offenders by giving them the tools they needed to improve their lives after they left prison.
He said it was a way to make sure they did not go back to crime when they returned to their communities.
“Offenders are given support to obtain education from school level up to the higher education and training level,” said the minister.
