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A prison corridor
Correctional Services Minister Dr. Pieter Groenewald says he will set up a commission to investigate the high number of incidents at prisons in the Western Cape.
Groenewald appeared before Parliament’s Portfolio Committee to discuss unnatural deaths in correctional facilities.
These include the brutal attack on two correctional officials and the death of three remand detainees in the Pollsmoor OPrison in October last year.
Also last year, a remand detainee managed to escape undetected by officials from the same facility.
Groenewald says he wants an independent report on the state of correctional facilities in the Western Cape.
“We have a lot of problems in Western Cape; we had a discussion. I as a Minister will institute a commission, outside the department to investigate the matters in the Western Cape. So, we can have an objective, outside report to see how we can fix these problems,” adds Groenewald.
Meanwhile, last month, a surprise raid at St Albans Correctional Facility in Gqeberha in the Eastern Cape highlighted a number of procedural irregularities within the management of one of South Africa’s most high-risk prisons.
The operation, led by National Commissioner of Correctional Services Makgothi Thobakgale, uncovered contraband and procedural lapses that point to poor oversight by officials.
VIDEO | Surprise raid at St Albans Correctional Facility uncovers contraband
