Johannesburg – Will they ever learn?
You probably saw the video, a female warden at Ncome prison frolicking with an inmate in the office and engaging in sex.
The video has gone viral and is the subject of scorn and derision and lascivious conversation around the country and probably abroad.
The prisoner records the whole episode with a smartphone in what seems to be a consensual act of coitus.
The warden is in her work uniform while the prisoner is clad in the notorious orange overalls.
In the first instance, the presence of a cellphone in the cells is a violation of prison conduct. Penile peccadilloes are explicitly forbidden behind bars.
The Department of Correctional Service expressed outrage and threw the book at its employee.
It is not known whether the sex was transactional or romantically inclined but it is easy to guess that the prisoner circulated the video in an act of braggadocio.
Clearly it was meant to brag to fellow inmates deprived of sexual relations and possibly the outside world, too.
It is also not clear whether the act was ongoing or if it was a once-off, no-strings attached copulation.
What is not a secret though is that prisons at home and abroad are cesspools of rape and sex.
The facilities have previously been exposed as places of sex among inmates.
Gangster- turned-businessman Gayton MacKenzie wrote in his book how he witnessed the brutal rape of a young inmate by adults throughout the night.
He exposed the shenanigans in a planted video that he handed to the authorities. It is one thing to hear about those stories and another to watch them on video.
It has been speculated by those who have never set foot in prison that they are holiday resorts wherein guests live it up as opposed to being punished for offending society.
I know several former inmates who would recount and attest that indeed for prisoners with deep pockets, a prison sentence can be a breeze.
Money talks and prison warders are often tempted to turn a blind eye and allow contraband in exchange for a bribe. In this latest episode, the warden has been suspended and faces possible dismissal.
The worst that can happen to the prisoner is to be transferred to another prison. Once again, it is a man who has brought shame and infringed on the dignity of a woman, although she must have seen it coming.
Filming sexual acts outside a pornography studio is a risky enterprise even among consenting adults.
The video inevitably lands in the wrong hands and the moral code is unforgiving when the video circulates.
Random spot checks often recover cellphones, drugs and alcohol in the cells. Clearly, the practice is far from being resolved and we will once again be greeted by yet another video in the future.
Evidently, despite this embarrassing episode, people will continue to film themselves with their pants down. While a sex tape launched Kim Kardashian’s career, I doubt the female warden will recover soon.
Society is unforgiving and records live forever on the online universe. I deleted the video after viewing it, so please don’t bother asking me to forward it to you.
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