Pollsmoor Prison lockdown lifted after inmate stabbing, revealing shocking smuggling statistics

A partial lockdown at Pollsmoor Prison, imposed after a stabbing between two inmates, has been lifted, putting a spotlight on a staggering122 407 smuggled items confiscated over the past year.

In response to the ongoing epidemic of corruption behind bars, Correctional Services Minister Pieter Groenewald warned that he was on a mission to clean house and that raids would be imminent. 

Groenewald's spokesperson, Eune Oelofsen, confirmed that Pollsmoor was placed under lockdown.

“The Minister is aware of the stabbing incident involving two inmates. A partial lockdown was implemented starting June 27 and has since been lifted.

"During this period, visitors were not permitted access to the Pollsmoor Correctional Centre,” said Oelofsen.

The stabbing has shed light on corruption in prisons, with the Ministry on Wednesday sharing the latest confiscation figures with the Cape Argus. 

It said since July 3, 2024, various smuggled items have been found and confiscated country-wide.

These include 33 874 cell phones, 20 577 sharpened objects, 122 407 items related to alcohol and other substances, 232.16 kg of drugs and R394 450 in cash. 

“Wicked problems can only be resolved once the band-aid is removed to inspect the wound properly - we can only address our problems if we recognise their true extent. This is the reasoning behind unannounced visits and raids to our facilities,” said Oelofsen.

The Department of Correctional Services have yet to respond to queries about the stabbing.

Following a parliamentary question and answer session in which the DA's National Council of Provinces member on security and justice, Nicholas Gotsell asked about confiscations in Western Cape prisons, it was revealed that 3 875 weapons were confiscated in 12 months ending December 2024.

No guns were found, but 234 knives were found, with no link to officials or inmates. 

The Ministry responded that of the nine management areas in the Western Cape -  Allandale, Brandvlei, Breederivier, Drakenstein, Goodwood, Overberg, Pollsmoor, Southern Cape and Voorberg - Goodwood had the most weapons confiscated with a total of 1 912, followed by Pollsmoor with 949 and Brandvlei with 427.

Gotsell said in reaction to the numbers and the lockdown: "This is not an isolated incident. It forms part of a larger crisis, where weapons, drugs, and even alcohol are regularly smuggled into correctional facilities under the noses - or with the complicity - of corrupt officials. In fact, the Department of Correctional Services recently confirmed that 234 knives were discovered in Western Cape prisons over a 12-month period, with 117 of those found in Pollsmoor alone.

“The violence at Pollsmoor must be a wake-up call. The Minister can no longer ignore the DA’s repeated calls for urgent interventions to stop the infiltration of weapons and dismantle the networks that allow gangs to operate freely within prison walls.

“Such interventions must start with fixing and enhancing cameras and its recording capacity - and it must enhance their K9 units and use the force multiplier of sniffer dogs to eradicate this smuggling."

Earlier this year, Pollsmoor Prison warden, Bruce van Rensburg, was suspended after shocking footage showed him making gang signs on social media and allegedly making a deal with an inmate not to confiscate his cellphone.

The minister's office confirmed Van Rensburg’s disciplinary hearing was finalised but that there was a second incident involving him with a criminal case under investigation.

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Cape Argus