Calm has been restored to the Boksburg correctional facility on the east of Johannesburg after inmates ran amok and caused havoc on Monday, the Department of Correctional Services said on Tuesday.
In a statement, the department said: “A group of inmates became unruly and barricaded a sectional gate during a search operation. This was in retaliation to a mandatory search operation by the national task team of the Department of Correctional Services, as part of its festive season security operation.
“The Department of Correctional Services shall never hesitate to act with vigour in order to ensure that there is no dereliction from the core mandate of corrections.
“Inmates attempting to undermine the authority of the state know fully of the consequences, and the department will never compromise the safety and security of other inmates, officials, members of the community and service providers.”
It added that it has noted the illegal use of cellphones and other contraband at its correctional facilities, stating that these acts raise concern.
“Some of the images circulating on social media platforms emanate from inmates making a mockery of the correctional system. This is a clear indication that a few unruly inmates who sought to prevent the searching exercise knew that they were hiding contrabands in their [prison] cells,” said the department.
“Those involved will be identified and corrective measures will be taken against them. We remain committed to incarcerate inmates in a humane and secure environment.
“However, we will never tolerate the undermining of the Correctional Services Act by unruly inmates hellbent on continuing to unleash terror on communities and officials through acts of crime, even when they are under lawful custody.”
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