Getting cellphones inside prison is not a difficult task, revealed an ex-convict. FILE
Cape Town - Two ex-convicts have revealed that accessing and owning a cellphone in prison is not that difficult.
This follows revelations that one of the suspects accused of murdering Hillary Gardee was allegedly found in possession of a cellphone while behind bars.
The Department of Correctional Services (DCS) confirmed that remand detainee Philemon Lukhele was found to be in possession of a mobile phone on May 24 at the Nelspruit Correctional Centre.
“Mobile phones are classified as a contraband inside correctional facilities, thus making them unauthorised items,” said DCS spokesperson Singabakho Nxumalo.
However, the 39-year-old ex-convict said: “Prison, like the outside world, has a way things are done, there are laws and they can be bent for certain individuals as it happens with powerful people.
“Ask anyone with a relative behind bars if they are not in communication with them and you will find out they do.”
He said he first entered prison gates at the ripe age of 19 for theft, returned for a murder offence and spent eight years between Pollsmoor and Malmesbury Prison.
“The reality is that there are corrupt prison officials who assist prisoners to bring in contraband. In the same breath, there are powerful people inside prisons who can make your life a living hell if they do not get what they want. They can do this from prison.”
For the not-so-powerful but sneaky prisoners, he said they get contraband when they appear in court and this is often arranged with someone who will pretend they want to see them.
“You can request your representative to get you something from outside before you are sent back to prison. You hide whatever you have through your anus, then take it out when you arrive in prison.”
Last year, a lawyer was arrested in Bellville for allegedly being in possession of drugs intended for a client in custody.
The other ex-convict said if a prisoner is caught with a cellphone, they suffer consequences.
“You cannot be reckless with the cellphone and show it off. You have to hide it because there are rules. There are people who dress nicely in prison and live a luxurious life. In prison, there is also an economy, goods are sold and money changes hands.”
The pair said some people behind bars have accepted that they will never be free and now run prisons through gangs. Unlike other countries, South Africa does not have prisons that are fully run by gangs.
Pollsmoor Prison is the most overcrowded prison in the Western Cape. Medium B, which houses males, is more than 200% overcrowded.
The DCS said a total of 94 officials were booted out in the 2020/21 financial year for offences including fraud, corruption, theft, maladministration and other crimes.
“The objective is to root out criminal behaviour within our ranks, and never give space to a few individuals to reverse the gains we have achieved over the years,” said the Acting National Commissioner Makgothi Thobakgale.
He added that the need for officials to maintain professional conduct at all times has to be emphasised in order to avoid some security breaches. “The prime mandate for Correctional Services remains that of security and public safety, meaning DCS is an institution operating in an ongoing risk environment. As a result, DCS is not immune to organised crime, which at times is targeted at correctional centres. It is for this reason that DCS must never tolerate deviation from its code of conduct and those in conflict with its statute must face the consequences,” said the commissioner.
He said these dismissals and other disciplinary measures bear testimony to a correctional system tightening its capacity to fight corruption while ensuring compliance with policy and internal controls. “DCS will continue to ensure that any official, offender or member of the public found guilty of any offence face the consequences of their actions.”