Windhoek – From April 23 to 25, 2025, the Southern African Development Community Parliamentary Forum (SADC PF) will convene a combined meeting of its standing committees with the aim of drafting a regional model law focused on monitoring prisons.
The Sadc PF secretary-general, Boemo Sekgoma, stated that the upcoming meetings in Johannesburg, South Africa, signify an important step for the organization as they work towards promoting human rights and enhancing parliamentary supervision of regional prisons.
The gatherings will convene five permanent committees of the Sadc PF, specifically: Democratisation, Governance, and Human Rights; Food, Agriculture, Natural Resources and Climate Action; Gender Equality, Women Empowerment and Youth Development; Human and Social Development along with Special Programs; and Trade, Industry, Finance and Infrastructure.
Sekgoma stated that the reasoning behind the model law stems from the increasing necessity for parliaments throughout the SADC region to take on a more proactive and well-informed role in overseeing the treatment of prisoners.
Present data indicates that the Sadc region boasts a total prison population of around 400,000 individuals. This figure includes disproportionately large numbers of pre-trial detainees as well as women held under circumstances that frequently fall short of meeting international detention norms.
A number of nations within this area do not have well-defined or implementable systems to supervise prisons, and their current legal structures frequently fail to meet the standards set forth in their constitutions.
“The proposed model legislation aims to provide a unified framework for bolstering parliamentary oversight, increasing openness, and strengthening the safeguarding of detainees’ rights, particularly for women, children, individuals with disabilities, and those awaiting trial,” Sekgoma stated.
“This procedure aims at safeguarding the dignity of each individual—even those incarcerated—through strong supervision, open governance, and responsible leadership,” Sekgoma stated.
Joseph Manzi, the Sadc PF programme director, mentioned that attendees will discuss topics including preventing torture, identifying legal shortcomings, improving prison facilities, ensuring food security, providing healthcare for those in custody, addressing gender-based violence, and recognizing the specific challenges faced by incarcerated minors.
The Committee on Democratisation, Governance and Human Rights plans to concentrate on the responsibilities of Members of Parliament in maintaining democratic oversight. Notable speakers include Malawi Supreme Court Judge Justice Sylvester Kalembera and Chairperson of the Malawi Human Rights Commission Chikondi Chijozi, who are anticipated to lead talks on judicial responsibility and the entitlement of incarcerated individuals to cast their votes.
In the meantime, the Committee on Food, Agriculture and Natural Resources will highlight issues related to food scarcity in prisons and sustainable farming techniques adapted to climate change. This effort will be guided by Justice Zione Nthaba from Malawi and Victor Mhango from the Centre for Human Rights Education, Advice and Assistance.
The Committee on Gender Equality, Women Advancement and Youth Development will address pressing issues such as sexual and gender-based violence in detention, the imprisonment of children with their mothers, and systemic marginalization of women prisoners. Presenters from Just Detention International and the Centre for Child Law will bring powerful insights to these conversations.
The Committee on Human and Social Development and Special Programmes will focus on the health crisis in prisons, exploring issues around infectious diseases, prisoner rehabilitation, and access to education. Zambia’s George Magwende and Anneke Meerkotter of the Southern Africa Litigation Centre will lead this dialogue.
The Committee on Trade, Industry, Finance and Infrastructure will explore the economic dimension of prison systems, highlighting budget transparency, access to essential medicines, and the need for improved infrastructure, with input from Melusi Simelane and former South African Deputy Minister of Justice, John Jeffrey.
Manzi said on April 24, all five committees will convene for a joint session to hear from regional experts including Teresa Manuela, the African Commission’s Special Rapporteur on Prisons, and former inmates who will share lived experiences.
The conversations will contribute to a position paper that Lukas Muntingh from the Dullah Omar Institute will present, providing a basic structure for developing the model law.
Subsequently, Verne Harris from the Nelson Mandela Foundation will contemplate the historical heritage and insights into autonomous prison monitoring, grounding this effort in the principles of equity and respect.
It is anticipated that these meetings will foster agreement on fundamental aspects of the model legislation, pinpoint primary participants for nationwide discussions, and lay the groundwork for an innovative legal framework aimed at improving prison environments, promoting human rights, and providing Sadc parliaments with the resources needed to carry out their supervisory duties more efficiently.
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