Security breaches lead to prison drama
Several security breaches and the alleged involvement of at least one official may have led to an inmate killing a female warder and raping another at the Goedemoed Prison in the Free State this year, according to the Judicial Inspectorate for Correctional Services (JICS).
The inmate was serving a life sentence for murder, rape, robbery and assault and ostensibly had a history of internal disciplinary transgressions.
According to a JICS report, he entered the offices of the unit where he was employed as a cleaner, locked the steel door and barricaded it with two tables.
He apparently attacked warder Nomsa Stuurman with a hammer and stabbed her to death with scissors, before taking another warder hostage and threatening her with the scissors.
During negotiations, the hostage was taken to a back office and raped.
JICS spokesperson Emerantia Cupido said when they made enquiries to determine what triggered the attack, allegations surfaced of inmates having their dignity violated and being treated inhumanely by officials, including Stuurman.
They received complaints of an inmate’s hand being burnt with a hot iron and another being beaten to the point of his artificial eye falling into a toilet and being flushed away.
Cupido said officials from the department of correctional services (DCS) denied the allegations.
JICS later received a complaint that an inmate was assaulted with a wooden baton-like weapon in front of one or more officials for “lying to the inspecting judge”.
“Further investigation revealed that the homicide was prearranged between the inmate and a DCS official, who wanted the deceased assassinated.
“The implicated official has been suspended,” said Cupido.
JICS found that the detail given on the alleged conspiracy and implication of an official as the instigator seemed to explain several security breaches.
These breaches included the inmate being allocated as a cleaner in spite of his sentence and apparent history of rule transgression; the inmate apparently being allowed to work in the unit’s offices by a DCS unit case officer; and DCS officials allowing the inmate to leave their sight during the hostage incident.
“It is possible that more officials than the one suspended might have been involved in the alleged conspiracy, knowingly or unknowingly,” said Cupido.
It could not reach any conclusions on the allegations of torture, assault, and/or use of force by officials.
“On a balance of probabilities some seem to be true.”
Cupido said it would be extremely serious if there was any truth to the allegation that an inmate was assaulted for communicating with the inspecting judge. It wanted the DCS to investigate this.
JICS cautioned that part of its report were still preliminary as it had yet to receive a report from the correctional services department. -– News24 Wire
They received complaints of an inmate’s hand being burnt with a hot iron.
Emerantia Cupido JICS spokesperson