![Deputy Commissioner General Bongani Khumalo. [HMCS Facebook Page]](https://eswatiniobserver.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/11/Bongani-Khumalo.jpg "Bongani Khumalo")
SPORTS – HIS Majesty’s Correctional Services (HMCS) has entered into a partnership with the Eswatini Football Association (EFA) to train both correctional officers and inmates in football refereeing, marking a significant step in integrating sports-based rehabilitation within the country’s correctional system.
The refereeing workshop, officially opened by Deputy Commissioner General Bongani Khumalo on behalf of the Commissioner General LaMakhosini Phindile Dlamini, was attended by senior officials, including Chief Assistant Commissioner Kenneth Nhlengethwa and programme facilitators. The five-day workshop that started yesterday is expected to end on Friday.
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Khumalo expressed profound appreciation for the initiative. “This programme goes beyond sport, – it is an investment in human transformation and future livelihoods,” he said.
The training workshop, facilitated by certified instructors from the association, provides participants with the same level of education and certification offered to external trainees. Upon completion, participants will receive fully recognised and accredited certificates, enabling them to officiate in mainstream football environments.
The refereeing programme forms part of HMCS’s broader rehabilitation strategy, which seeks to use sport as a tool for personal development, discipline and community reintegration. Chief Assistant Commissioner Nhlengethwa said this initiative gave inmates a sense of purpose to rebuild their lives.”
The programme will see officers trained alongside inmates, fostering mutual respect and social cohesion. The officers’ participation is expected to strengthen internal sports programmes and ensure sustainability beyond the workshop.
The Eswatini Football Association Chief Executive Officer Frederick Mngomezulu emphasised that football had the power to transform, instilling responsibility, impartiality, confidence and decision-making skills.
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