On Friday, 27 February 2026, the Department of Correctional Services (DCS) gathered 50 of its longest-serving veterans at the Kgoši Mampuru II Correctional Facility to say thank you for exceptional service.
Correctional Services Minister, Dr Pieter Groenewald, accompanied by Deputy Minister, Ms Lindiwe Ntshalintshali, and National Commissioner (NC), Mr Makgothi Thobakgale, presided over the medal ceremony for officials who have clocked 40 years and more in the system.
Acknowledging the invaluable contribution of officials, Minister Groenewald said, “The most valuable asset of this department is the employees. Without you, there cannot be a Department of Correctional Services. Today, you obtained gold for over 40 years of exceptional service, and I want to thank you for that.”
For the 50 who stood in that hall, the weight does not lie in the metal. It lies in the four decades of walking in when walking out would have been easier. It lies in the knowledge passed to younger officials.
Under departmental rules, the 40-year medal comes in a 24-carat gold plate—a visible weight for an invisible burden. Recipients must have irreproachable conduct. This honour fittingly recognises career correctional officials who, for over four decades, showed up in a system that currently holds more than 168,000 inmates.
According to National Commissioner Thobakgale, of the department’s 35,760 staff members, nearly 31,000 qualify for some form of long-service recognition. But Friday belonged to the 50 who went the distance. They came from Head Office, Gauteng, the Free State and Northern Cape, as well as Limpopo, Mpumalanga and North West regions. More ceremonies will follow in other regions to honour other veterans scattered across the country.
The men and women behind the medals
The Chief of Staff in the Office of the Minister and one of the medal recipients, Mr Pieter Kilian, spoke on behalf of his distinguished cohort. Reminiscing about the journey traversed, he said they joined when it was still the Prison Service under the 1959 Prisons Act, watched segregation end in 1990 and saw the name change in 1991. They witnessed Community Corrections arrive as a pilot project meant to ease overcrowding—a problem that still bedevils the system three decades later.
He also spoke of passing knowledge to thousands of young officials who have responded to the higher call to serve over the years. “We have indeed served our department and country faithfully. We served with pride, and therefore we accept these medals today with pride and honour,” said Mr Kilian.
National Commissioner Thobakgale singled out one recipient, Mr Vusi Ndimeni. They met years ago on a task team evaluating police performance in KwaZulu-Natal. Mr Ndimeni was recovering from a line-of-duty incident then. NC Thobakgale did not know their paths would cross years later, albeit inside Correctional Services. “In carrying out our task, we were relying on people like him who served in the Justice, Crime Prevention and Security Cluster for a long time,” said NC Thobakgale.
The National Commissioner placed the ceremony in context. “There is nothing new that is not born from the old. The old always gives birth to the new. So in the new, there will always be elements of the old.”
Categories for Faithful Long Service awards are as follows:
| Years of Service | Medal Category | Description | Rank Category |
| 1 year | Bronze Plated | Faithful Service | National Commissioner |
| 3 years | Nickle Plated | Faithful Service | National Commissioner |
| 5 years | Gold Plate 24ct | Faithful Service | National Commissioner |
| 10 years | Bronze Plated | Faithful Long Service | All Rank Levels |
| 20 years | Silver Ox Plated | Faithful Long Service | All Rank Levels |
| 30 years | Nickle Plated | Faithful Long Service | All Rank Levels |
| 40 years | Gold Plate, 24ct | Faithful Long Service | All Rank Levels |
DCS unveils new insignia
Friday carried a double payload. While veterans received their gold, the department also unveiled new insignia for its Senior Management Service. The new look acknowledges the department’s standing in the Justice, Crime Prevention and Security (JCPS) cluster—a visual reminder that correctional services sit at the sharp end of the criminal justice system.