Cape Town – The Rottweiler which dragged an inmate who had already been severely assaulted – allegedly at the hands of warders – still haunts inspecting judge for Correctional Services, Justice Johann van der Westhuizen.
But, nearly two years after that deadly incident at Brandvlei prison, near Worcester, and which was caught on video, it is still unclear whether the perpetrators would be criminally charged.
The Department of Correctional Services had initially recommended that no action be taken against its officials after the incident in January 2015, but was forced to reopen the alleged torture, assault and murder probe after pressure from the Judicial Inspectorate for Correctional Services (JICS), which is headed by Van der Westhuizen. The updated information on the Brandvlei prison murder emerged on Thursday during a JICS media briefing on the deadly prison brawl which took place at St Albans prison in Port Elizabeth on the Day of Goodwill.
Three inmates were killed and at least five warders were injured during the clash. The prisoners allegedly wanted to take control of the facility.
A preliminary investigation by JICS, however, indicates warders had allegedly used lockback knives, commonly known as okapis, to attack the inmates. Interviewed inmates apparently bore injuries that were consistent with stabbing and the use of batons, Van der Westhuizen said.
While the JICS investigation is still at an early stage, concerns have been raised whether its final report would be taken seriously by Correctional Services. “My interactions with people in top management give me no reason that they are serious,” Van der Westhuizen said on Thursday.
“Our policy has always been to investigate immediately, parallel to other investigations which are going on. We are in no way influenced by other investigations. We have in the past been disappointed to hear that police are not always very keen to help investigate (prison matters). Police should be investigating alleged murders, assaults and torture wherever they may happen.”
It had also emerged that many prisons in the country, including Pollsmoor, were running on skeleton staff over the holidays.
Deputy regional commissioner of Correctional Services Fred Engelbrecht said: “We have a serious shortage of staff, but we need to manage with what we have. The staffing issue will always be a challenge and it will remain a challenge for many years to come until we also address the socio-economic issues within our communities. And this is not only a call from Correctional Services, this is a collective of issues which needs to be addressed by the broader public.”
Pollsmoor population stood at 7 477 inmates, Engelbrecht confirmed, adding that while the St Albans incident had been a wake-up call for prison staff, he cautioned against excessive use of violence. “We have sent messages to all area commissioners and heads of centres to be alert that these things can happen, and if they do, they should use the necessary force.
“They should not go beyond using the force that is needed because we don’t want our officials being investigated for assault and murder. We have learnt many lessons from the St Albans incident and we’ve requested our officials to just do what the law permits them to do.”