Middledrift prison hit by water crisis
Trucks end a week of misery – after alert from DD
EASTERN Cape Correctional Services had to cart water to one of its prisons at the weekend after a week of dry taps for about 1 200 inmates and officials at Middledrift prison.
This was only after the Daily Dispatch made enquiries to the department about the situation that left inmates without flushing toilets and drinkable water since October 29.
The situation posed a health hazard for both warders and the convicted criminals at the Medium B facility as both officials and inmates said the situation was getting out of control.
One inmate, who wanted to remain anonymous for fear of victimisation said they were locked inside without water. “It’s catastrophic. We are without water as this is the fifth day,” the inmate said on Thursday.
On Friday, an official said prison bosses were doing nothing about the water crisis, which he blamed on water reticulation to the prison.
“The failure to act by senior officials to fix this problem can lead to litigation by those who are affected by this. The inmates had no choice but to use the toilets without water.
“The prison senior management in East London should speak to authorities to fix this or have our own systems of getting water, even if it is boreholes,” said the official.
“These [inmates] are human beings and they need to be protected and their dignity respected.
“We [warders] get water from the outside for our consumption, but what about prisoners who are not allowed to get out?”
Soon after the Daily Dispatch enquired about the water crisis from the Department of Correctional Services, plans were made to cart water to the prison.
Around 5am on Saturday trucks could be seen carting water to the prison facilities.
When a Dispatch team visited the prison on Saturday, trucks, one with a water and sanitation logo and three privately owned were still carting the water into the facility.
Some officials were seen queuing in front of their prison quarters getting water from the trucks.
Not far from the prison buildings, water was being sprinkled onto the vegetable gardens.
“We have to wait for the trucks to come inside the prison before we can get water to flush our toilets. We are forced to eat and live in this stench,” said the inmate.
Provincial Correctional Services spokeswoman Vuyo Gadu confirmed the water problems.
“Yes, the centre has been affected by interruptions in the supply of water, and the challenge is from the Amathole District Municipality who is the water service authority in the area of Middledrift and the surroundings.
“The challenge is not only affecting the centre but the whole community,” said Gadu.
She also confirmed that they were getting their water from local municipality trucks to supply water to the centre.
“The department is investigating the contingency plan such as water tanks as a back-up, for as and when the municipality has a challenge. The management is in consultation with stakeholders to upgrade the current water supply infrastructure.”
The department also said they were busy applying for funding to buy a water truck so as to cart water for themselves if they have to face such challenges again.
By yesterday morning, there was still no running water in the prison taps and showers.
Amatola Water, an implementing agent of ADM, was also working around the clock trying to fix the problems. Amatola technicians were seen with prison officials inside and outside the prison centre, diagnosing the problem.
ADM spokesman, Siyabulela Makunga could not be reached for comment at the time of writing yesterday. —