Groenewald to Unveil New Correctional Services Insignia

Alongside the medal ceremony, Minister Groenewald will unveil new uniform insignia designed to reflect a renewed professional identity within the department.

Correctional Services Minister Dr Pieter Groenewald will on Friday unveil newly designed uniform insignia and preside over a landmark medal ceremony honouring 80 officials with more than 40 years of service — marking the revival of a recognition tradition paused since the 1990s.

The ceremony will take place at the Kgosi Mampuru Correctional Facility and signals what the Department of Correctional Services describes as a broader institutional renewal drive.

Restoring a Long-Standing Tradition

The medal ceremony forms part of a renewed national effort to formally recognise correctional officials who have demonstrated sustained dedication, discipline and professional excellence over decades of service.

“This first cohort will honour officials with 40 years of service and above,” the department said in a statement.

Following an internal audit, the department confirmed that 13 965 officials across South Africa qualify for long-service medals — underscoring the scale of institutional experience within Correctional Services.

The reinstatement of the medal programme marks the restoration of a tradition that lapsed during organisational transitions in the 1990s.

Officials from Gauteng, Limpopo, Mpumalanga, North West, the Free State and Northern Cape will be recognised during Friday’s ceremony, with additional regional ceremonies scheduled for March 2026.

New Insignia Signals Institutional Renewal

Alongside the medal ceremony, Minister Groenewald will unveil new uniform insignia designed to reflect a renewed professional identity within the department.

The updated insignia forms part of broader efforts to reposition Correctional Services as a modern, professional institution at the centre of rehabilitation, public safety and offender reintegration.

According to the department, the new insignia symbolises:

• A strengthened professional ethos

• Reinforced institutional pride

• Recognition of correctional officials as skilled rehabilitation practitioners

• Alignment with evolving correctional mandates

The department emphasised that correctional officials play a dual role — maintaining security within facilities while facilitating rehabilitation and preparing offenders for successful reintegration into society.

Boosting Morale and Service Excellence

The recognition of long service is seen as a strategic intervention to strengthen organisational culture and morale within the department.

“The recognition of long service remains a vital component in strengthening organisational culture, enhancing employee morale, and reinforcing service excellence,” the department said.

By formally acknowledging decades of service, leadership aims to reaffirm institutional values of discipline, accountability and public service.

Repositioning Correctional Services

The ceremony comes amid ongoing efforts to modernise Correctional Services and restore public confidence in the department’s mandate.

In recent years, the department has faced growing expectations to balance secure detention with effective rehabilitation programmes that reduce recidivism and support social reintegration.

Friday’s dual milestone — honouring institutional veterans while introducing new symbols of identity — reflects an attempt to blend tradition with reform.

As the department prepares to extend the medal programme nationwide in 2026, the event at Kgosi Mampuru Correctional Facility signals what officials describe as a renewed chapter for Correctional Services — one rooted in professional pride, institutional continuity and public accountability.