Calls for Department of Correctional Services to provide concrete plans to stop prison escapes

The recent prison escapes from two South African correctional centres emphasize the urgent need for the Department of Correctional Services to develop a clear, effective plan to address issues within the country's prison system.

This is according to Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) Member of Parliament (MP), Carl Niehaus.

Speaking to IOL following a presentation by the Department to the Portfolio Committee on Correctional Services (DCS) on Tuesday, Niehaus said the two escapes, from Pollsmoor prison and the police holding cells under Waterberg District in Limpopo, underlines the point that the department's report to the committee was merely a tick-box exercise.

The DCS was tasked with coming up with an action plan to comply with remedial action contained in the Public Protector’s (PP’s) report on Thabo Bester’s escape from Mangaung Correctional Centre in May 2022.

While committee chairperson, Kgomotso Ramolobeng, applauded the DCS for keeping to the PP’s deadline, she also noted gaps in the strategies presented but said that these can be addressed over time.

According to Niehaus, the presentation did not provide any information on practical solutions.

"The report was based on theory. We want practical plans. This is why we will be conducting oversight visits to prisons," he added.

Commenting on Bester's escape, Niehaus said the rape and murder-accused's escape was due to corruption.

"The department needs to find ways to deal with corruption. Private prisons are prone to corruption and we are not convinced by the department's presentation," Niehaus said.

Democratic Alliance deputy spokesperson on Correctional Services, MP Kabelo Kgobisa-Ngcaba, criticised the DCS for failing to implement measures to prevent future Bester-style escapes.

"In an ironic twist, the department’s failure to implement real action was highlighted just as it was presenting to the Portfolio Committee - by an escape from Pollsmoor Correctional Centre. Yanga Wayithi, a 35-year-old inmate serving a sentence for theft and trespassing, managed to escape the facility while the Committee was sitting. This incident clearly demonstrates the urgency for tangible measures to prevent such escapes in the future," she said.

She said the DA was concerned over the DCS' financial capacity after the department revealed needing R1 billion to construct perimeter fences yet there are budget cuts.

She, too, agreed that the DCS did not provide concrete solutions to the problem of escapes.

"I just think they need a proper, well-thought through plan, not a broad overview strategy like they presented. We want concrete steps, specific steps with timeframes that are measurable that we can hold them accountable to, and until you have that you are going to keep seeing these escapes," she added.

Meanwhile, the DCS confirmed that Wayithi is now back in custody at Pollsmoor Correctional Centre and will face additional charges related to his escape from lawful custody.

seanne.rall@iol.co.za

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