The MK Party has escalated its confrontation with the state’s correctional authorities, calling for urgent parliamentary intervention over what it describes as the “unlawful detention” and abuse of inmate Jermaine Prim.
In a letter dated April 1 to the chair of Parliament’s correctional services portfolio committee, Kgomotso Anthea Ramolobeng, and copied to Correctional Services Minister Pieter Groenewald, the party alleges that Prim has been subjected to “torture, starvation and punitive transfer” to the high-security C-Max unit at Kgosi Mampuru Correctional Centre.
The intervention follows a televised interview between Prim and Heidi Giokos, after which disciplinary processes appear to have been triggered inside the facility.
The party says a formal disciplinary notice shows Prim did not use an illicit cellphone but instead accessed a public telephone within the prison. “It is our understanding that the use of such a device does not constitute a breach of correctional rules,” the party states.
Prim, a convicted fraudster, has in recent weeks levelled explosive allegations against Sports, Arts and Culture Minister Gayton McKenzie, who also leads the Patriotic Alliance.
In interviews and correspondence to Parliament, Prim alleges that McKenzie and associates act as proxies for drug syndicates, claiming the minister is involved in the sale of mandrax in Cape Town.
He further claims McKenzie supplied him with mobile phones while in custody to assist with political campaigning during by-elections and says he holds voice recordings, WhatsApp messages and bank records to substantiate these claims.
Prim has also framed his transfer to C-Max as retaliation, alleging that political influence was used to silence him following his public statements.
McKenzie has rejected the allegations, describing Prim as a criminal with a vendetta. He has said he does not know Prim or individuals named in the claims and has threatened legal action against the inmate and the broadcaster for airing “baseless
accusations”. The minister has also indicated he would rather resign than face suspension over the matter.
Against this backdrop, the MK Party has sharpened its demands, calling for an independent investigation into the conduct of National Commissioner of Correctional Services Makgothi Thobakgale, particularly whether he acted lawfully in facilitating Prim’s transfer. It has also requested a probe into alleged communication between McKenzie, Thobakgale and Kgosi Mampuru prison head Ntsizi Qebengu.
The letter further raises concerns about the suspension of a prison official, identified as Mr Kwinda, who allegedly authorised Prim’s access to the phone.
The dispute sharpens against the backdrop of a recent High Court ruling. The MK Party notes that Prim’s earlier extended detention in C-Max beyond 18 months was declared unlawful in February. It now raises questions how a renewed placement in the same unit can be justified, particularly where no new offence appears to have been committed.
- The MK Party has escalated its confrontation with the state’s correctional authorities, calling for urgent parliamentary intervention over what it describes as the “unlawful detention” and abuse of inmate Jermaine Prim.
- In a letter dated April 1 to the chair of Parliament’s correctional services portfolio committee, Kgomotso Anthea Ramolobeng, and copied to Correctional Services Minister Pieter Groenewald, the party alleges that Prim has been subjected to “torture, starvation and punitive transfer” to the high-security C-Max unit at Kgosi Mampuru Correctional Centre.
- The intervention follows a televised interview between Prim and Heidi Giokos, after which disciplinary processes appear to have been triggered inside the facility.
- The party says a formal disciplinary notice shows Prim did not use an illicit cellphone but instead accessed a public telephone within the prison.
- “It is our understanding that the use of such a device does not constitute a breach of correctional rules,” the party states.
