Durban - A warder at Westville Prison, who did not want to be named, said it was the third incident in the past year in which warders had beaten a prisoner to death.
He said Medium A housed more than 3 000 prisoners and it was almost impossible for the warders to maintain control.
“There are so few of us and so many of them. Often our lives are also in danger,” he said. “It is a known fact that warders have been attacked in the past.
“It (the latest incident) happened on a Saturday when the prisoners were at breakfast,” the warder said.
“The prisoner attacked two other prisoners and had to be restrained by the warders. But, he did not settle down easily. He was very aggressive. That was when they beat him with their batons.
“To my knowledge this is the third incident in the past year. Several warders have been charged departmentally and criminally for such behaviour.”
The warder described the awaiting trial section as extremely volatile and hard to control.
“This section is like an initiation school. The new prisoners are assaulted and put through various tests before they are accepted into the fold,” he said.
“It is also a place where the prison gangs try to recruit new members. Fights are a daily thing in this section.
“Everyone is quick to point fingers at the warders, but they do not know the pressures we face, or what goes on behind closed doors. It’s a tough job.”
Meanwhile, KZN Regional Commissioner of Correctional Services, Mnikelwa Nxele, confirmed on Thursday that the eight warders had been suspended a few days after the incident.
Nxele said at this stage it was difficult to comment on the allegations that the prisoner had been tortured to death.
“That will form part of a comprehensive investigation. For now, a preliminary investigation is under way to determine the sequence of events. A commission of inquiry will head the comprehensive investigation. Internal disciplinary processes will also take place.”
Nxele said police had been called to the scene.
He said investigations were also under way into what object the prisoner had used to stab the other two inmates.
“It could have been a broken bottle or a sharpened key.”
Nxele said he was fully aware of the difficult working conditions at the prison because of overcrowding.
“Yes, warders work in extreme conditions.
“But that is no justification for what happened. For any prisoner to die at the hands of a correctional services officer is a very, very serious offence. The laws governing the use of minimum force is clear. We need to abide by it.
“We are also aware of gangs in the prison.
“This is one of the main causes of fights among inmates. They assault each other and warders intervene.”
Nxele said this was not the first time such an incident had happened.
“Warders have faced criminal charges in the past for assaulting prisoners, even killing them. But, it has been a while since the last incident.
“I don’t have all the details available now on those incidents and when they happened.”
Daily News