Christmas cheer for inmates

2003-12-22 10:08

Johannesburg - About 3 200 prisoners from the Pietermaritzburg prison would receive Christmas hampers from the River of Life Christian Ministries, the church said on Monday.

Thamo Naidoo, a senior elder, said the aim of this gesture was to assure inmates that they were in the thoughts and prayers of the church and community.

"Christmas is a time of cheer. But this time cheer will be brought to the lives of a group of people who many might say do not deserve it".

He said the church held the opinion that religion can play an integral role in the process of rehabilitating those who were incarcerated.

While the church believed that inmates should face the consequences of their actions, it also had a responsibility to provide encouragement, hope and motivation to them, said Naidoo.

"This therefore augurs in favour of restorative rather than punitive justice".

Naidoo said the spirit of Christmas was expressed in practical ways of meeting the needs of others which was demonstrative of God's love.

"It is also a time when virtues such as forgiveness and sacrifice are highlighted".

He added that it was a time to remember the love of Jesus Christ whose birth the church celebrated and "who sacrificed His life in order to bring reconciliation between God and man".

- SAPA