Minister Pieter Groenewald under pressure as the DA calls for immediate Cabinet intervention to address rampant contraband smuggling in prisons.
Image: Henk Kruger/Independent Newspapers
The amount of illegal items in South African prisons has become a major crisis.
Democratic Alliance (DA) deputy spokesperson on Correctional Services, Kabelo Kgobisa-Ngcaba, said the growing issue demanded urgent Cabinet intervention and underscored the "dire state of the country’s prisons".
“Minister Groenewald must escalate this matter to Cabinet as a priority. It is clear that the Department of Correctional Services cannot handle this crisis alone,” said Kgobisa-Ngcaba.
She said that the contraband found in prisons represents a fraction of the problem, and suggested a far-reaching network of illegal activities operating within correctional facilities.
In the past year, nearly a thousand kilograms of drugs, over 41,000 cell phones, 11,000 weapons, and large amounts of alcohol and cash have been seized, Minister of Correctional Services Pieter Groenewald recently said in a parliamentary question.
In addition to drugs and weapons, items such as official uniforms were also confiscated, raising concerns about how inmates are obtaining and using such materials.
The situation highlights the porous nature of South Africa's correctional facilities, which are intended to be secure environments focused on rehabilitation but are increasingly becoming hubs for criminal activity, said Kgobisa-Ngcaba.
Violent crimes, such as the infamous shooting in Lusikisiki, have been traced back to actions orchestrated from inside prisons, further exposing the failures of the system, she said.
In the 2023/24 financial year, only 267 criminal charges were brought against officials and inmates in connection with contraband far fewer than would be expected given the scale of the problem, she said.
Kgobisa-Ngcaba said Groenewald has not responded to a letter sent last month, urging him to take immediate action.
''To date, I have received no response to this communication. It is unclear, then, whether any action is underway to address this crisis in our correctional system," Kgobisa-Ngcaba said.
"Minister Groenewald must bring this matter to Cabinet and solicit assistance in addressing both the dangerous volumes of contraband in our prisons, and the need to stem criminal activity in and emanating from prisons."
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