ADVERTISEMENT:

 

Makhado Correctional Centre.

Makhado prison “not overcrowded”

 

Claims that the situation at the Makhado prison is unbearable for prisoners, with overcrowding and a lack of food, were denied by the prison authorities this week. On the contrary, the Department of Correctional Services said, the situation is well under control, with a lot of improvements being made the past year.

Last week, Limpopo Mirror received a call from a person close to an inmate at the Makhado Correctional Facility. He complained bitterly about what he described as human rights violations. He was told that prisoners were kept in overcrowded conditions. A cell, which is designed to accommodate 32 inmates, is allegedly filled with more than 60 inmates.

The source also claimed that the inmates were not getting enough food and were assaulted if they were found in possession of a cellphone. He said that the inmates had to rely on food sneaked in by friends and relatives.

When asked about these allegations, Mr Singabakho Nxumalo from the Department of Correctional Services said the allegation was not true. “There has been a reduction of more than 15% in terms of overcrowding in our centres. Hence, we now have a flexibility of transferring inmates from overcrowded centres to those with no overcrowding at all,” he said.

Nxumalo said that the department now had centres where officials were more than the number of inmates. “This is due to the parole dispensation announced by the President in 2020 and the Special Remission of Sentences announced in December 2019,” he said.

On the allegations that inmates were harassed and assaulted, Nxumalo said that this was unlikely. “Not in South Africa. Inmates have rights and these are explained to inmates and officials. Corrective measures must be applied, should there be a deviation, and those in the wrong know that they will be charged, using the relevant prescripts,” he said. Nxumalo said that the Judicial Inspectorate for Correctional Services scrutinised the manner in which inmates were treated and evaluated complaints. “Inmates can even open criminal cases, should they be treated unfairly,” said Nxumalo.

As far as contraband found on inmates is concerned, which could be cellphones, money and other items, prisoners are charged as these items are not permitted in the centres.

Limpopo Mirror also approached SAPOHR (South African Prisoners Organisation for Human Rights) for a comment. “For the past 26 years, post 1994, SAPOHR has seen it all and has not given up reporting such to the media and other bodies and institutions, to no avail. The situation has not changed to equal a democratic dispensation,” said Golden Miles Bhudu, general secretary of SAPOHR.

Bhudu claims overcrowding is more like a normal issue and the Department of Correctional Services is struggling to resolve the problems. When it comes to nutrition, SAPOHR claims the department fails to feed inmates well. “This is an undisputable fact. The Prison Department is technically bankrupt,” claims Bhudu.

But the Department of Correctional Services says that food in their centres has never been in short supply. “Our systems in terms of making meals available to inmates is working efficiently, and we have flexibilities should numbers of those detained go to extreme levels. However, we must state that these allegations are not new as they have been propagated by those who are trying to attract media headlines and prominence. To them, Covid-19 is a perfect platform to attract media attention. Nevertheless, we remain focussed and undeterred in our mission,” said Nxumalo.

Meanwhile, SAPOHR is calling on all sectors of the communities to join the 2021-2023-Anti-Overcrowding Year in South African Correctional Centres campaign.

 

News - Date: 23 January 2021

Recent Articles

Search for a story:

 
 

ADVERTISEMENT

 

Bernard Chiguvare

Bernard Chiguvare is a Zimbabwean-born journalist. He writes mainly for the online publication, Groundup.

Email: [email protected]

ADVERTISEMENT: