Inmate strike ‘irresponsible, reckless’ – Correctional Services

Golden Miles Bhudhu, who heads the South African Prisoners Organisation for Human Rights (SAPOHR), said his organisation had called on prisoners to skip some meals -- "a passive hunger strike" -- to demand that inmates be freed to minimise the spread of coronavirus.

SAPOHR are calling for the release of low-risk prisoners such as those who are terminally ill, non-violent first-time offenders and prisoners aged over 60 years, among others.

The department's spokesperson Singabakho Nxumalo says it’s simply not true to say that inmates are not protected against the virus.

"There has been screening at our centres and supplies are being provided continuously, both for inmates and officials. Improving personal and environmental hygiene, provision of personal equipment, sanitisation and decontamination interventions is what we have been doing and continue to do.”

So far the country has detected 99 cases of coronavirus in the prison system. 

These comprise 56 inmates at a jail in East London, while the remainder are prison employees, most of whom work at that facility, plus several others at three other sites.

Nxumalo says following the call for a hunger strike, inmates at Baviaanspoort Medium Correctional Centre became disruptive, with one prisoner refusing to move into his cell.

"Correctional officials had to use minimum force in order to bring about amity and order was restored. Reports of an inmate being shot at are only a fabrication, as our officials do not utilise firearms inside the centres.”

Two inmates were treated for minor injuries.

"We will continue embarking on random search-and-seizure operations across the country to confiscate contrabands from inmates and to ensure that rogue officials who aide the smuggling of those contrabands in our facilities are exposed and ultimately prosecuted," Nxumalo says.

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