SOWETAN SAYS | Punish warders enabling jail misconduct

A late-night raid by prison authorities at the Odi Correctional Centre in Mabopane, Tshwane, on Sunday unearthed a disturbing trend of corruption and smuggling of contraband into the facility.

During the operation at the facility led by the national commissioner of correctional services, Makgothi Thobakgale, energy drinks, drugs, designer sneakers and cellphones were found in cells, among other illegal items. The quantum of energy drinks and other goods seized raised suspicion that some inmates were running “tuck shops” from the jail cells.

The sweep, according to Thobakgale, is part of a broader crackdown on smuggling and corruption inside SA’s correctional facilities.

It was not the first time that such discoveries were made in our prisons. On previous occasions, smart TVs, PlayStation, wi-fi routers and imported alcohol were found at the notorious Johannesburg Correctional Centre, also known as “Sun City”. What is different this time is that officials found that prisoners at Odi were running a mini tuck shop inside their cells, selling cold drinks to others. There were also several cellphones seized from inmates who are brazenly allowed to live in jail as though they are on vacation.

The shocking discoveries of contraband at the facility once again underscore the state of security breaches in our prisons, where offenders are meant to have little freedom to operate or access electronic devices.

It speaks to a systemic culture of corruption, lack of accountability and oversight from those meant to keep a watchful eye over our prisons and minimise security breaches. The head of the Odi prison has not been suspended or any of the officials working at the facility, at least as far as we have been informed. It is unlikely that the prisoners would have been able to carry out the smuggling of goods into the jail cells without some help from prison warders. We can safely assume that prison warders aided or abetted the inmates in operating businesses from their jail cells.

While none of this is new, it shows how lackadaisical those at the top are at holding officials accountable. The cracks in the correctional service system at Odi facility are there for everyone to see, including prisoners who exploit them. A prison can never be a place where we expect inmates to abide by the rules, given their criminal history.

But when enforcement is weak and warders are allowed to misbehave with impunity, the cost we pay is lawlessness. We welcome Thobakgale’s efforts to crack down on illegal activities, but the whip must also be extended to those in charge of our prisons.

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