Prisoners’ rights organisations say they doubt violence and corruption in the country’s prisons will improve soon, after two videos surfaced of Westville Prison inmates engaging in illegal activities, with the support of warders. DailyNewsSA
In one video, two prisoners fight each other with warders looking on and, apparently giving them batons to attack each other. In another video, convicted murderer Ruwain Meer, who is serving a life term, is seen snorting what appears to be cocaine. Picture Screen grab.A video of Ruwain Meer snorting cocaine is one of those that created an uproar this past weekend. It has resulted in the department of correctional services saying they want an investigation of the matter. Picture: Screegrab.
Justice Minister Ronald Lamola has instructed the correctional services department to urgently investigate which officials were on duty and whether they had been subjected to disciplinary action. However, the videos came as no surprise to prisoner rights organisations, which said it was just a continuation of what had happened for years in prisons.
Derrick Mdluli, founder of Justice for Prisoners and Detainees Trust, said the videos were symptomatic of the situation prisons were in.“Things in jail have come to a point where warders have become a part of the prison gang system and new prisoners would be allocated along their gang affiliations,” said Mdluli.
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