You know election season is in full swing when politicians visit places they would otherwise avoid. Just the other day Julius Malema visited a crèche in Soweto. Now Deputy President Baleka Mbete has visited Johannesburg Prison.

You know election season is in full swing when politicians visit places they would otherwise avoid. Just the other day Julius Malema visited a crèche in Soweto. Now Deputy President Baleka Mbete has visited Johannesburg Prison.

We can only assume she did not need to tell those possible voters how hard her party will be against crime as they know it better than her. Theirs is a classic case of been there, done that and getting an orange overall to prove it.

One thing nobody can accuse Mbete of doing is visiting jail only to seek votes. She was there when her comrade Tony Yengeni was carried into Pollsmoor like a hero three years ago.

In Mbete's case, campaigning at the prisons does look like a matter of conviction.