Katlego Sekhu

In a groundbreaking moment for South African football and social rehabilitation, 16 female inmates at the Johannesburg Correctional Centre became the nation’s first female graduates of the global Twinning Project.
Kaizer Chiefs lead the initiative in partnership with the FIFA Foundation and the Department of Correctional Services.
The programme, launched in September 2024, saw inmates undergo an intensive seven-week coaching curriculum designed by Kaizer Chiefs’ technical team—including assistant coaches Dillon Sheppard and Aubrey Mathibe, and sports scientist Muzi Maluleke.
High-profile dignitaries attended the graduation ceremony on 20 March 2025.
Deputy Minister of Correctional Services Lindiwe Ntshalintshali hailed the initiative as a blueprint for reducing recidivism:
“We urge these graduates to channel their skills into community projects—establish football clubs, coaching clinics, and attract investment. Their success can rewrite futures beyond these walls.”
The inmates mastered coaching fundamentals while developing critical life skills—teamwork, discipline, and leadership—to aid their reintegration.
Banyana Banyana coach Desiree Ellis, who attended the ceremony, emphasised the programme’s ripple effect: “Football doesn’t just build players; it builds leaders. These women are proof of that.”
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