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The 33 inmates involved in the fracas at the overcrowded St Albans Prison in Port Elizabeth were not searched, as they should have been, before going to the dining hall.
This was admitted by national commissioner of correctional services, Zacharia Modise, during a prison visit yesterday.
“The inmates were obviously not searched when they were moved from cell 22 and 23, which house the most problematic inmates,” said Modise during a visit to the prison on Tuesday.
Modise said he is aware of a grievance between inmates and wardens, which may have contributed to the fracas.
“However, the matter was attended to and it shouldn’t have been a basis of the fracas,” he said.
“Prisoners approached the head of the prison, on their dissatisfaction for the withdrawal of priviledges, resulting from their placement into the affected cell sections,”
“The placement was also not explained to the inmates, approximately two inmates had been incorrectly placed,” he said.
Modise said staff shortage also enabled the inmates to implement on their plan successfully.
The commissioner was part of a team that was accompanying Deputy Minister of Correctional Service, Thabang Makwetla, following the fracas which took place on Monday morning at the prison’s dining hall.
Makwetla said St Albans is one of the Big Five correctional facilities of the country that keep the most dangerous inmates.
He said the prison has a capacity of 4000 inmates, but currently housed 4387 sentenced inmates and many awaiting trial inmates.
“St Albans Correctional Facility is one of our Centres that houses +/- 5 000 inmates. This facility falls within the category of what we refer to as the "Big Five" of South Africa's Correctional Centres.
"These include Pollsmoor, Kgosi Mampuru II, Durban-Westville and Johannesburg Correctional Centre otherwise known as Sun City,” said Makwetla.
It is worth noting that based on numbers, these five (5) centres present a variety of challenges in executing our constitutionally enshrined mandate.
He said the fracas took place at 10 am, where 33 inmates from the two most problematic cells of the prison.
“33 inmates attacked, without relenting, prison guards who were serving them breakfast,” said Makwetla.
“Resultantly, 3 died and 13 were injured, with 6 critically injured,” he said.
“We have suspended all visits to the prison and are currently in the process of informing families of those who are deceased.”
Makwetla said the biggest challenges faced by prisons are gang and over-crowding.
Citing that though ideally inmates should be rehabilitated during their stay in prisons, the challenge is dealing with the culture of gang related activities.
“We have the biggest challenges with gangs of 26, 27, 28 activities who have mind sets that determine that people should be murdered at specific days of the month and years for gang promotion purposes,” said Makwetla.
He said no matter how much you try to rehabilitate them, they believe in these cultural practices “It’s a socio cultural crisis that goes beyond correctional services.”
He said a formal internal inquiry which would bring more light to the cause of the fracas.
According to Emergency Medical Services Eastern Cape, the prisoners, 21 in total, were transported to the various hospitals, following the brawl.
Sizwe Kupelo, provincial health spokesperson, said seven inmates are still in hospital, under treatment at three hospitals; Dora Nginza, Livingstone and Uitenhage Hospitals.
“Those still in hospital are there due to their critical condition and head injuries,” he said.
