By Kouthar Sambo
Johannesburg Prison underwent a massive raid where authorities discovered various items that prisoners were not supposed to be in possession of. Items such as weed, cell phones, a PlayStation controller, and much more were discovered in hard-to-find areas such as inside of mattresses.
Speaking on VOC’s PM Drive show on Thursday, the National Spokesperson for Correctional Services Singabakho Nxumalo said the idea moving forward is to tighten security measures.
“These searches will be expanded and our mandate is to conduct routine raids. However, yesterday was disturbing when the department discovered the amount of items confiscated.”
“This goes beyond the amount but even the type of items confiscated at the Johannesburg Correctional facility,” explained Nxumalo.
He stressed that the department is looking for answers as to how those items found their way into the prison cells and to gain clarity on the role of the officials.
“This is not the first and it will not be the last as we will continue to visit other facilities as our mission is to clean out our facilities and therefore these raids are mandatory,” he asserted.
There is a reason why a particular person must be removed from society, explained Nxumalo, as the perpetrator offended and caused pain to society. He added the idea is also to rehabilitate the person.
“By the time the person goes back into society, the person is reformed and is able to contribute positively to society – but how do you reform a person when he still has access to illegal items?” challenged Nxumalo.
“Those inmates who are hell-bent on continuing to harm society must be punished and taught accountability. There should also be privileges and incentives for good behaviour,” he reiterated.
Photo: Pexels
