By Ragheema Mclean
An unexpected raid at Johannesburg Correctional Centre, also known as “Sun City,” has uncovered a luxurious lifestyle among inmates.
Authorities discovered contraband items, including plasma TVs, PlayStations, WiFi routers, and designer perfumes, during last night’s operation conducted by the Department of Correctional Services (DCS) officials and police.
In addition to these luxuries, drugs, knives, and alcohol were seized, and illegal electricity connections used for gaming devices and cellphones were dismantled.
Correctional Services National Commissioner Samuel Thobakgale addressed the situation, stating, “There’s a unit manager who now needs to account for what we found here.”
He also emphasized that security measures around inmate movements would be tightened to prevent the exchange of contraband.
“Movements to court, movements to hospitals, movements even inside the centre. These movements are the ones that provide an opportunity for these contrabands to be exchanged,” Thobakgale explained.
Inmates caught with contraband now face additional charges and compromised parole prospects.
Meanwhile, the raid has also sparked significant criticism of the DCS and highlighted systemic issues within the institution.
Speaking on VOC’s News Beat show, Trevor Shaku, spokesperson for South African Federation of Trade Unions (SAFTU), which includes the South African Correctional Services Workers’ Union said the raid has highlighted the need for stringent reforms within the correctional services department to prevent such breaches and ensure the integrity of the justice system.
“It is very concerning that some prisoners have access to these devices. Access to cell phones and other kinds of devices creates problems; they are used to cause more damage.”
Shaku stressed the need for credible management within prisons to prevent contraband from entering.
“We need to ask the question: How did these devices get in there? There are rotten apples among some of the correctional services officers, but we shouldn’t paint all the staff with a bad brush. We acknowledge that a few people enabled such unauthorized items to get into the cells, and that amounts to corruption. Those people need to be found and dealt with.”
He said the union has called for a comprehensive crackdown on corruption throughout all prisons.
“This has to happen throughout all the prisons in the country, and we need to root out all the officers who are enabling this. These cell phones are also reaching inmates in cells who are still undergoing trial. You can imagine what an offender who has a cell phone that can help him reach the outside while still undergoing trial can do—they can manipulate and interfere with the justice process.”
“We think that it’s the minister’s responsibility to deal with all forms of corruption within the department and make sure that he leaves no stone unturned at all levels.”
VOC News
Photo: @DCS_ZA/X
