Johannesburg - South African prisons have become crime scenes themselves, with increasing reports of prison escapes and other crimes being committed inside these facilities.
However, when it comes to the smuggling of cellphones and other electronic gadgets, reports indicate that more than 37 000 cellphones were confiscated in prisons throughout the country in the 2022/23 financial year.
It is further reported that only 24 prison officials were subjected to disciplinary proceedings for their role in smuggling cellphones during the same period.
The use of cellphones in correctional centres is not allowed, but still, inmates find a way to smuggle phones into correctional facilities, with a recent report indicating that Facebook rapist and prison escapee Thabo Bester had access to a laptop and other amenities while he was serving his prison sentence.
In 2018, it was reported that inmates were so brazen that they used to call former Justice and Correctional Services Minister Michael Masutha using their cellphones.
The recent increase in incidents of cellphone smuggling was revealed by current Justice and Correctional Services Minister Ronald Lamola in responding to parliamentary questions from EFF MP Mathapelo Siwisa.
Siwisa wrote to Lamola, noting the high number of inmates who have access to cellphones inside correctional facilities.
She enquired about the total number of cellphones confiscated in the 2022/23 financial year and the measures in place to ensure that access to cellphones continues is restricted.
According to Independent Media, Siwisa also wanted to know about the total number of prison warders implicated in such cases and the actions taken against those prison warders.
In his written reply, Lamola said a total of 37 243 cellphones were confiscated in the last financial year.
Gauteng had the highest number of cellphones confiscated at 10 238; KwaZulu-Natal had 7 628; the Western Cape had 6 161; the Limpopo, Mpumalanga, and North West provinces had 5 167; the Eastern Cape had 4 501; and the Free State and Northern Cape regions had 3 548.
The Star