Johannesburg - The death of a Leeuwkop Correctional Services prisoner, allegedly beaten for close to an hour after he had an altercation with another inmate, is under investigation.
Sizwe Mhlongo from Medium A, who was serving a 25-year sentence for housebreaking and theft, died on Monday morning from his injuries. The Department of Correctional Services (DCS) could only say the matter was under investigation when asked about the damning allegations.
An inmate, who claims to have witnessed the incident and asked to remain anonymous, told The Star on Tuesday that correctional officials had assaulted the deceased. The inmate said prior to Mhlongo’s allegedly beating, he had a dispute with another inmate.
“He stabbed the inmate and afterwards they took him to the office and the guards started beating him. From what I know, the members that were in the office were all beating him,” he said.
The inmate added he went to the office after the alleged assault and found Mhlongo lying in front of the office door still alive.
“I went myself to request them to take him to the hospital but they just left him. His body stayed there for almost two hours and I got some guys to pick him up and lay him in the sun. He laid there for about two-and-a-half hours and then they decided to take him to the hospital,” the inmate said.
The inmate added the incident occurred at around 8.30am on Monday and Mhlongo was taken to the hospital at around 10am.
“They were negligent because if they had rushed him to the hospital immediately, he would still be alive,” the inmate said.
DCS spokesperson Logan Maistry, however, said that during Mhlongo’s scuffle with the inmate, correctional officials “had to intervene and disarm” the deceased.
“The DCS has launched an investigation following a security-related incident at Leeuwkop Medium A Correctional Centre, Gauteng, yesterday (Monday, August 3), where an inmate, sentenced to 25 years imprisonment for housebreaking and theft, died after allegedly attempting to stab a fellow offender with a self-made knife,” he said.
He added that after the fight with the non-gang member inmate, Mhlongo was taken for medical treatment but unfortunately passed on.
Golden Miles Bhudu, from the South African Prisoners’ Organisation for Human Rights (SAPOHR) said that the incident was brought to the organisation’s attention.
“According to the information at my disposal, a prisoner sold substandard nyaope to another prisoner (Mhlongo). The prisoner found out during the course of the night while he was smoking this nyaope that it was substandard so his fellow gangster affiliates were very angry at him for bringing substandard nyaope,” he said.
Bhudu said that Mhlongo’s gangster affiliates, alleged members of the 26 Numbers Gang, threatened the deceased inmate.
“The following day he went and attacked that non-gangster prisoner that sold him the substandard nyaope, and for attacking the prisoner he was beaten to death for almost an hour by what we call the bouncers, the Emergency Security Team (EST),” he said.
Maistry conveyed the department's condolences to Mhlongo’s family and added the matter was reported to the relevant authorities and a probe was under way.
Bhudu added that SAPOHR would meet with the Mhlongo’s family today and hold a virtual media briefing to discuss the inmate’s death, the Covid-19 state of affairs in correctional centres and the 19 000 prisoners who were earmarked for release on the special parole dispensation to combat the spread of the coronavirus in prisons.
“The bouncers had no reason to use excessive force and brutally murder the deceased,” he said.