The Economic Freedom Fighters in KwaZulu-Natal notes with dismay the news of the death of Sphamandla Njilo, an inmate at Glencoe prison who was allegedly beaten to death by nine Prison Warders in the presence of other inmates on Monday.

While the Bill of Right under Constitutional Rights on Prisoners stipulates that all prisoners have the right not to be tortured and not to be punished in a cruel inhuman or degrading way, we are even more aggrieved by the fact that this vicious act was done in the presence of other inmates who had to watch helplessly as threats were being hurled at them. It is even more concerning to note that this incident was done by people who are supposed to be bringing hope and rehabilitation to inmates.

We note with concern the lack of oversight role displayed by the Department of Correctional Services in monitoring violence in prisons. We are further concerned by the lack of a sense of urgency displayed by the Judicial Inspectorate for Correctional Services (JICS) which despite having been made aware of violence in prisons has never instituted any successful investigation. The time for remaining mum while violence is growing at an alarming rate in our prisons is over. We therefore call upon the Department of Correctional Services and JICS to suspend the warders implicated with immediate effect and we also call upon both these institutions to fast track all pending investigations related to prison assaults and deaths.

 

Issued by The KZN EFF