Cape Town - More than 100 electronic devices, including 49 cellphones, were confiscated from inmates at Pollsmoor Prison at the weekend following news that inmates had created a Facebook page and posted images of themselves in their cells.
And raids across the country yielded thousands of cellphones, officials say.
Correctional Services provincial spokesperson Simphiwe Xako said prisoners in Pollsmoor’s awaiting-trial section, as well as officials who worked at the maximum security block of the prison, were being questioned about the administration of the Facebook page on which inmates posted several pictures, including selfies, inmates sleeping and showing off gang signs.
Xako said the page, which had about 3 000 “likes”, has since been removed.
“The page was created by inmates in the awaiting-trial section, where there is a lot of coming and going. We do have security measures and search people, but sometimes they find loopholes.
“We are dealing with human beings who are longing to stay in touch with the outside world,” Xako said.
Department of Correctional Services spokesperson Manelisi Wolela said raids across the country yielded “thousands” of cellphones.
Wolela said state-of-the-art cellphone technology that would notify management of correctional centres of cellphone activity had been piloted in several prisons.
“Technology, through a triangulation system that can detect SMS, call and internet connection within a 5m radius, has been in its pilot phase at seven prisons.
”The current phase will be followed by an evaluation of the system, lessons learnt and further security threat and risk assessment to identify those to follow in respect of installation. Not all 243 facilities may need to get the cellphone detection technology,” Wolela said.
An internal preliminary investigation into the Facebook page saga was expected to take seven days, followed by a comprehensive investigation, Wolela said.
“The external investigation cannot be concretely projected at this stage, but the team knows the seriousness with which the (Department of Correctional Services) takes the matter and its urgency.”
A Facebook fan page for the late John Mongrel, who was a leader of the 28s prison gang, has almost 3 000 supporters. The page is still active.
Last month, during the trial of 28s gang leader George “Geweld” Thomas in the Western Cape High Court, it emerged that Thomas made no fewer than 33 000 cellphone calls while he was an awaiting-trial prisoner at five different correctional facilities in the province.
The Department of Community Safety had called for a clampdown on cellphones in prisons.
Xako said that initially only three inmates were questioned, but as the investigation proceeded more have been questioned.
No official has been suspended yet pending the outcome of the investigation, Xako added.
Cape Times