Cape Town – Security at the country's most notorious correctional centres, including Pollsmoor Prison, will be beefed up with the installation of full-body scanners to curb drug smuggling.
Following several videos going viral showing prisoners engaging in illegal acts behind bars, Justice and Correctional Services Minister Ronald Lamola said yesterday that the scanners would be installed before the end of the month at the country's most “problematic prisons”, including Pollsmoor, Durban's Westville, St Albans Correctional Centre in Port Elizabeth, Kgosi Mampuru II Correctional Facility in Pretoria, Barberton Prison in Mpumalanga, and Groenpunt in the Free State.
Senior prison officials were also being taken to task for allegedly being behind crimes.
Lamola said investigations into two incidents at Durban's Westville Prison, one involving a convicted killer snorting what appeared to be drugs, and another showing inmates assaulting each other with batons supplied by warders, had been concluded.
“From the evidence gathered, it has been found that the investigation was conducted and submitted to the delegated authority for approval and sadly, nothing was done beyond that,” said Lamola.
Single mother Bernadette Geldenhuys, originally from Brackenfell but who recently relocated to Pretoria, spoke of how easily her son Jean accessed drugs in prison.
Jean, 34, currently fighting for his life in Tygerberg Hospital, fell ill with severe sepsis, which Geldenhuys charged he contracted at Goodwood Correctional Facility where he was serving a sentence for theft.
The mom said her son had a learning disability and suffered from epilepsy.
She has pleaded for him to be transferred to another facility to be psychologically evaluated.
“My son is addicted to drugs and each time he finds his way back into prison he can readily access illicit substances, for example, tik and mandrax. I fail to see how such an environment is conducive to a drug addict.
"I have begged and pleaded for him to be transferred to a facility that can help him, but my voice has been silenced. Lab results show that rat urine was present in his body, which can cause severe infection if left untreated.
"My son has endocarditis and syphilis which, along with his substance abuse, has most likely resulted in his physical and cognitive impairment,” she said.
Regional Department of Correctional Services spokesperson Mosele Sehloho said Jean’s medical diagnosis was confidential and treated as such by the department.
Provincial Health Department spokesperson Mark van der Heever said the correctional services had their own medical unit. “When they are unable to deal with the medical condition, there is a service level agreement between them and our department for medical referral and care.
"In the event they are able to treat a specific condition, they can liaise with our department for specialist assistance,” Van Der Heever said.
Lamola said the three inmates seen in the videos have been identified as Ruwain Meer, serving life for double murder, Sanele Nyalane, doing 15 years for robbery with aggravating circumstances, and Langa Gumede, serving 15 years for robbery with aggravating circumstances.
“The three were transferred to the only ultramax facility in South Africa, eBongweni, in Kokstad. This is a referral centre not just for hardened criminals, it caters for inmates with extreme behavioural challenges,” said Lamola.