Security at some Eastern Cape correctional centres is so lax that inmates are able to don the uniforms of prison warders and claim they can pop out of walled complexes to meet friends or relatives.
This emerged during a two-month probe by the Daily Dispatch into corruption in provincial prisons.
During the investigation one inmate said warders didn’t care about security, “they need money”.
Senior prison officials said the practice of prisoners using warders’ uniforms had never been reported to the management but would constitute a serious security threat and promised to get to the bottom of the claims.
Correctional Services provincial head Nkosinathi Breakfast dismissed the claims of prisoners stepping out of prison in warders gear.
In the process of our investigation, the Dispatch however, managed to obtain a photograph of an inmate inside a cell wearing an official’s uniform.
In the image, the inmate in uniform is seen with other inmates in the background.
“That is proof this is happening in our prisons. It’s even worse in small rural prisons,” the inmate said.
But Breakfast said the picture of the inmate could not be taken as evidence that some offenders were given preferential treatment, allowed to wear officials’ uniforms and go out and attend to their private matters before returning to prison.
“That picture can be interpreted in many ways,” he said.
During the Dispatch investigation, inmates from three correctional centres in East London, Mdantsane and Mthatha told the newspaper it was easy to access officials’ uniforms from their cells.
Inmates in Mthatha Central Prison said at times they were given uniforms to mend. “We always sew their uniforms and today a senior manager is here for his shirt to be stitched,” one inmate said.
Another inmate in the same facility said: “We charge them money and they don’t come if they don’t have money . At times, we use the uniform as pyjamas because it’s cold here.”
An ex-inmate who was incarcerated in Mdantsane prison said they used to wash uniforms for the officials. “We are doing anything for them, including washing their entire uniform. Some collect them but if they don’t pay we keep them.”
Five inmates who spoke to the Dispatch on condition of anonymity said the financially strained officials would do anything to get money from inmates or the relatives of inmates.
“Some of us are wealthy – we can do anything to get access to the outside world. We use the same officials who don’t have money to get us what we want. We get to meet our relatives or girlfriends outside these walls but to do that you have to have a uniform, which we get from officials. Let’s face it, prison officials are corrupt and don’t care about security, they need money,” the inmate said.
He claimed that at times inmates were even chauffeured into the outside world in official vehicles. “When it’s raining, we jump into their cars that are parked outside the same prison to go to the shops or to our relatives who are waiting outside the facilities.”
The inmate did not specify if prisoners were able to visit their homes or not from the prison but he said it was easy to move around.
“No one will recognise us because we act like new recruits or visiting officials from other prisons. These officials cannot know each and every inmate by face or name.”
Breakfast said inmates wearing uniforms would constitute a security threat. “The presence of a uniform for officials inside a cell will be treated with urgency as it is a serious security threat. The uniform does not belong there,” he said.
“Claims that offenders are allowed to wear the uniforms of our officials and conduct their personal business in the community at night are baseless.”
Referring to AbaThembu King Buyelekhaya Dalindyebo who has not been wearing his prison garb, one inmate said: “King Dalindyebo is a security risk as he’s not wearing his uniform. The security is lax here.”
Police Prisons and Civil Rights Union (Popcru) provincial chairman Loyiso Mdingi said the Department of Correctional Services did not provide enough uniforms.
“We condemn what these officials do, but the blame is with the prison which does not allocate uniforms to their officials. They end up going to the inmates to sew their uniforms but we don’t know why they leave it there because it could get lost or be used for something else,” Mdingi said. — bonganif@dispatch.co.za
SPECIAL REPORT: INMATES WEAR WARDERS’ GEAR
This emerged during a two-month probe by the Daily Dispatch into corruption in provincial prisons.
During the investigation one inmate said warders didn’t care about security, “they need money”.
Senior prison officials said the practice of prisoners using warders’ uniforms had never been reported to the management but would constitute a serious security threat and promised to get to the bottom of the claims.
Correctional Services provincial head Nkosinathi Breakfast dismissed the claims of prisoners stepping out of prison in warders gear.
In the process of our investigation, the Dispatch however, managed to obtain a photograph of an inmate inside a cell wearing an official’s uniform.
In the image, the inmate in uniform is seen with other inmates in the background.
“That is proof this is happening in our prisons. It’s even worse in small rural prisons,” the inmate said.
But Breakfast said the picture of the inmate could not be taken as evidence that some offenders were given preferential treatment, allowed to wear officials’ uniforms and go out and attend to their private matters before returning to prison.
“That picture can be interpreted in many ways,” he said.
During the Dispatch investigation, inmates from three correctional centres in East London, Mdantsane and Mthatha told the newspaper it was easy to access officials’ uniforms from their cells.
Inmates in Mthatha Central Prison said at times they were given uniforms to mend. “We always sew their uniforms and today a senior manager is here for his shirt to be stitched,” one inmate said.
Another inmate in the same facility said: “We charge them money and they don’t come if they don’t have money . At times, we use the uniform as pyjamas because it’s cold here.”
An ex-inmate who was incarcerated in Mdantsane prison said they used to wash uniforms for the officials. “We are doing anything for them, including washing their entire uniform. Some collect them but if they don’t pay we keep them.”
Five inmates who spoke to the Dispatch on condition of anonymity said the financially strained officials would do anything to get money from inmates or the relatives of inmates.
“Some of us are wealthy – we can do anything to get access to the outside world. We use the same officials who don’t have money to get us what we want. We get to meet our relatives or girlfriends outside these walls but to do that you have to have a uniform, which we get from officials. Let’s face it, prison officials are corrupt and don’t care about security, they need money,” the inmate said.
He claimed that at times inmates were even chauffeured into the outside world in official vehicles. “When it’s raining, we jump into their cars that are parked outside the same prison to go to the shops or to our relatives who are waiting outside the facilities.”
The inmate did not specify if prisoners were able to visit their homes or not from the prison but he said it was easy to move around.
“No one will recognise us because we act like new recruits or visiting officials from other prisons. These officials cannot know each and every inmate by face or name.”
Breakfast said inmates wearing uniforms would constitute a security threat. “The presence of a uniform for officials inside a cell will be treated with urgency as it is a serious security threat. The uniform does not belong there,” he said.
“Claims that offenders are allowed to wear the uniforms of our officials and conduct their personal business in the community at night are baseless.”
Referring to AbaThembu King Buyelekhaya Dalindyebo who has not been wearing his prison garb, one inmate said: “King Dalindyebo is a security risk as he’s not wearing his uniform. The security is lax here.”
Police Prisons and Civil Rights Union (Popcru) provincial chairman Loyiso Mdingi said the Department of Correctional Services did not provide enough uniforms.
“We condemn what these officials do, but the blame is with the prison which does not allocate uniforms to their officials. They end up going to the inmates to sew their uniforms but we don’t know why they leave it there because it could get lost or be used for something else,” Mdingi said. — bonganif@dispatch.co.za
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