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At least three prisoners have been stabbed to death and nearly were 30 injured in fighting in the awaiting-trail section of Durban’s Westville Prison following a clampdown in the prison after the province’s prison head, Mnikelwa Nxele, was suspended.
National Commissioner of Correctional Services Zach Modise, who suspended Nxele for insubordination and for failing to obey orders last month, this week visited the prison, where the departments search and seizure unit has been operating for two weeks, and read wardens the riot act.
Sources said Westville Prison had been in turmoil since the suspension, with wardens loyal to Nxele, who is also facing a probe into allegations of tender and appointment corruption, allegedly refusing to cooperate with their superiors.
Following the clampdown, violence escalated and prison gangs went on the rampage because of the closing down of communication and contraband channels between the section, which houses thousands of awaiting-trial prisoners who travel to court for hearings, and the outside world.
“Three prisoners were killed in the fighting between the 26s and the 28s,” said a source within the prison.
“Another 29 inmates and three wardens were also stabbed in separate attacks. Things are bad here. There were even inmates stabbed in the hospital. We counted a total of seven ambulances that attended the scene and removed the injured to hospitals nearby.”
The source in the prison, who is not authorised to speak to the media and cannot be named, said the fighting broke out immediately after the announcement that Nxele had been suspended and the deployment of the department’s specialised national emergency support teams from around the country to search the prison’s awaiting-trial section for contraband.
He said that on Wednesday, met with the prison staff and called on them to restore order in the prison.
“The commissioner converged the entire prison staff and read them the riot act,” the source said. “He said he wanted them to restore discipline and adherence to work ethics.”
A second source said the national “stability unit” had been raiding the prison’s Medium A facility since last Monday.
“Prisoners are stabbing each other daily and even wardens are being stabbed. The commissioner has brought in the national stability unit from Gauteng, Northern Cape and Limpopo. They have taken over Nxele’s office and are searching for evidence of corruption in the promotion of wardens,” the source said.
“It is very volatile here. It is very bad. When prisoners go to court, they come back with weapons and the stabbings start. We are having people stabbed on the ramp coming from court and in the hospital. They are using okapis and other blades they bring in from the outside.”
A third source, a senior official at the department, told City Press the violence had been worsened by the clampdown on the Medium A facility by the teams deployed by Modise to investigate claims of corruption against Nxele.
“The emergency support teams from all over are there cleaning up. Offenders are frustrated. There is no contraband, no communication coming in and no communication going out,” the official said.
Correctional services spokesperson Logan Maistry referred City Press to colleague Manilesi Wolela. At the time of writing, Wolela had not responded to calls and SMSes requesting comment.
Provincial corrections spokesperson Thulani Mdluli undertook to respond to emailed questions from City Press. He had not responded at the time of going to press.
Last month, Durban financial adviser Dain Neveling, charged for two unsuccessful attempts to have his business partner Grant Jones murdered, told the Durban Regional Court during a bail application that he had been stabbed with a toothbrush in Westville’s awaiting-trial section.
The court heard evidence from independent pathologist Steven Naidoo, who examined Neveling, that he had indeed been stabbed with a sharpened toothbrush with a blade embedded in it.
Neveling was admitted to hospital after the attack.
*Correction: Department of correctional services spokesperson Logan Maistry was earlier quoted as confirming the violence at the prison. This was incorrect. We apologise for any inconvenience or embarrassment caused by this error.
**This article was updated on February 18 2016
