The construction of the new medium security correctional centre at Kimberley is nearing completion.

The facility will provide accommodation for 3,000 adult male offenders.

Contractor Grinaker-LTA, a subsidiary of the JSE-listed Aveng Group, has announced that it's on track to handover the prototype prison in July this year. The firm's R821m construction contract is being undertaken in a joint venture with BEE company Keren Kula Construction.

Situated on Griekwastad Road, 1 km outside Kimberley, the prison features a design that's planned to serve as a model for other new correctional facilities in South Africa. "The design is based on the focal point of the layout being the 10m wide 'street', which serves as the main corridor for the movement of people and the transportation of goods," Kitching explains.

A central control room is situated in the middle, to monitor this thoroughfare, with additional control rooms at each end of the "street". Various buildings are situated on either side of it, including medical and education facilities, bakery and textile factory, a vocational training centre, multi-purpose hall, kitchen, laundry, social workers' units and segregation unit.

"The 12 accommodation blocks and three recreation centres are situated behind these buildings, on both sides of the street," states Kitching. Visitors' and administration buildings, stores warehouse, offices and a garage for state vehicles also form part of the complex. Sports fields are being established.

Kitching says that the buildings are generally reinforced concrete structures with brick walls. Roofs are timber or structural steel with sheet metal covering and concrete roofs over secure areas.

The prison complex comprises buildings totalling more than 41,574sqm in size.

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The facilities are beautiful and just wish it could have been a technikon or University campus but unfortunately our politicians are not very keen in addressing the education issues in the Northern Cape and thus a lot of students suffer greatly and also in terms of development and growth of youth.

Strangely there's a budget for prison instead of an education campus?

Well it reminds me of a song of Lucky Dube which goes like" they will build no schools any more, all they build will be prisons, prisons..."

Hope we can prioritise our education. - Molefi

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