The Department of Correctional Services is bringing back military-style ranks for its officials. Soon, staff will once again carry titles like Brigadier, Colonel and General — similar to the SAPS rank structure.

The Department of Correctional Services is bringing back military-style ranks for its officials. Soon, staff will once again carry titles like Brigadier, Colonel and General — similar to the SAPS rank structure. But why the return to a more militarised system? We unpack the reasoning behind Correctional Services Minister, Pieter Groenewald’s decision to reintroduce the ranks, and what it could mean for discipline, authority and the culture inside South Africa’s prisons. Singabakho Nxumalo: National Spokesperson for the Department of Correctional Services (DCS) and Richard Mamabolo: spokesperson for the Police and Prisons Civil Rights Union (Popcru)