Photos of strippers dancing with inmates at a Johannesburg prison have circulated online, prompting the head of South Africa’s corrections department to open up an immediate investigation.
James Smalberger, acting national commissioner of the Department of Correctional Services, also condemned the alleged incident, saying the actions on Monday were a major security breach and a violation of prison protocols.
“The department condemns this incident with the contempt it deserves, and right at the outset, we want to make it abundantly clear that we will leave no stone unturned to deal with this matter,” Smalberger said, speaking at a news conference.
The incident allegedly occurred at the Johannesburg Medium B Correctional Centre, commonly known as Sun City. The prison is notorious for housing some of South Africa’s most violent criminals – according to CNN.
“The pictures taken were of an event hosted in line with June Youth Month celebrations on the 21st of June,” Smalberger said.
The Youth Month pays tribute to the students killed in the 1976 anti-apartheid uprising, which began after police killed a 12-year-old student who was peacefully protesting the mandated use of Afrikaans as the language of instruction in schools. Overall, it is estimated that 175 people were killed in the clashes that ensued.
Smalberger confirmed that the Corrections Department had approved the Youth Month celebration, “but the form of entertainment as depicted on social media was not approved and not in line with Correctional Services policies and procedures.”
So far, 13 prison officials have been served letters of contemplation of suspension amid the investigation.
“According to our policies, management should have gone in and stopped those ladies,” department spokesman Gibson Ngabakho said in an interview with South African Power FM Radio.
“We want to apologise to the citizens of South Africa for this incident, which, indeed, is very disturbing,” Smalberger said.
Does Africa have a prisoner problem?
Such behaviour has caused uproar with citizens towards the safety and treatment of prisoners In South Africa. The country has one of the highest crime rates in the world with 500,000 people murdered since 1994, according to the Institute of Race Relations. The latest crime figures, released by the police, show that 14,333 people were killed in the country between April and December last year.
Recently, incidents at other prisons on the wider continent have caused concerns surrounding the state of many of Africa’s prisons. DR Congo saw its biggest prison break ever, when around 4,000 inmates went missing from its most capital’s maximum-security prison last month.
In December 2016 Islamist militants managed to free 93 prisoners in Mali – prompting many to question the security levels managing the penitentiary.
With such a concern surrounding the state of African prisons, and the “stripper story” doing the rounds across the planet, those involved may look to face a heavy punishment.
