First prisoner tests positive in KZN

A PRISONER at Qalakabusha DCS in Empangeni has tested positive for Covid-19, the first case among inmates in KwaZulu-Natal.

Six Department of Correctional Services officials in the province have also tested positive for the virus.

Nationally, 621 inmates and 377 officials have Covid-19, most in the Eastern and Western Cape.

The Police and Prisons Civil Rights Union (Popcru) confirmed that an inmate from Qalakabusha DCS Centre tested positive for the virus. Popcru provincial secretary, Nthabeleng Molefe, said according to information they had received, the first official who tested positive from the Port Shepstone Community Corrections facility last month was still in hospital.

Molefe said another official tested positive at the Port Shepstone DCS and was under quarantine at home.

“Three members at Pietermaritzburg DCS area office have tested positive and we are still awaiting results for the others.”

She said while personal protective equipment was being supplied to members, the implementation of Covid-19 health and safety regulations had not changed the conditions at facilities in the province.

A shortage of uniforms was still a challenge in KZN, Molefe said.

Another concern was overcrowding in the centres, as it would only take one infected offender to spread the virus to many. The announced parole of about 19 000 low-risk prisoners was estimated to take up to 10 weeks.