By Moses Magadza in Johannesburg

The Southern African Development Community Parliamentary Forum (SADC PF) on Monday opened a two-day consultation in Johannesburg focusing on Health in Prisons and the Draft SADC Model Law on Prison Oversight.

The consultation brings together health professionals working in prison settings, ministries of health and correctional services, civil society organisations, and development partners to contribute technical and professional input into the draft law that aims to strengthen parliamentary oversight and improve prison conditions across the region.

Delivering the keynote address, Mr. Victor Mhango, Vice-Chairperson of the Technical Working Group (TWG) on Prison Oversight, described the initiative as “a vital step towards restoring dignity and humanity behind bars.”

He said the SADC PF’s ongoing efforts to craft a Model Law on Prison Oversight were “not only about accountability, but about affirming that the right to health is a human right, not a privilege, even for those who are incarcerated.”

 “Health is a fundamental human right, guaranteed under our constitutions and international conventions. That right does not end at the prison gate,” Mr. Mhango said, citing the UN Mandela Rules and the African Commission’s Guidelines on the Conditions of Arrest, Police Custody and Pre-trial Detention in Africa.

SADC PF Secretary General Ms Boemo Sekgoma said the Forum initiated the development of the Model Law in 2024 under its Strategic Plan to empower national parliaments with a regional legal benchmark for oversight of prisons and detention facilities.

She explained that the law seeks to ensure that legislators can demand government accountability in protecting the rights of prisoners, including access to healthcare, humane conditions of detention, and rehabilitation.

Mr. Mhango noted that across Africa, “prisons are often overcrowded, underfunded, and ill-equipped to provide even the most basic health services.”

He pointed to overcrowding, mental-health neglect, inadequate support for women and vulnerable groups, and disruption of chronic-care treatment as critical challenges that must be addressed through structured oversight.

“A society is judged not by how it treats its most powerful, but by how it treats its most vulnerable,” he said, adding, “Prisoners may have lost their liberty, but they have not lost their humanity.”

The consultation focuses on integrating health oversight into the wider prison-oversight framework. Participants are reviewing draft provisions of the Model Law dealing with the protection of vulnerable groups, training and mandatory reporting, and parliamentary oversight mechanisms.

Discussions are expected to shape recommendations on funding healthcare in correctional centres; ensuring access to essential and mental health services; strengthening accountability mechanisms for prison-health services; and clarifying the duties of health professionals to report abuse and safeguard the well-being of inmates.

Mr. Mhango said the draft law offers “a progressive opportunity to integrate prison health into national health systems, ensure regular medical screenings, and guarantee access to essential medicines and mental-health care in line with WHO standards.”

He added that gender-sensitive services, including prenatal and postnatal care for incarcerated women, must be part of this reform. For the Model Law to make a real difference, he appealed for strong government commitment and multi-sector partnerships.

“We must move beyond paper commitments. Governments must allocate adequate budgets for prison healthcare; ministries of health and home affairs must work hand-in-hand; and parliaments must use their oversight powers to demand compliance with human-rights standards,” he stated.

He called, also, for strategies to decongest prisons, including parole, community service, and bail reform, to ease health pressures in correctional facilities.

Over the next two days, participants will analyse each clause of the draft Model Law, provide technical input, and make recommendations for strengthening its provisions on complaints management, oversight mechanisms, and health-professional responsibilities.

Their contributions will feed into the finalisation of the Model Law for presentation to the SADC PF Plenary Assembly.

Mhango said, “By adopting and faithfully implementing this Model Law, we affirm that healthcare in prisons is a right, not a privilege, and in doing so, we uphold justice, dignity, and the promise of rehabilitation for all.”

• Moses Magadza is the Media and Communication Manager at the SADC Parliamentary Forum.