Durban - The Department of Correctional Services said the Pietermaritzburg Correctional Centre will have to answer to how prohibited items, including cell phones, sharp objects, and other prohibited substances, were found in cells during a raid on Sunday night.
Department spokesperson Singabakho Nxumalo, said National Commissioner of Correctional Services Makgothi Thobakgale led a search operation at the Pietermaritzburg Correctional Centre, known as New Prison.
Nxumalo said the unannounced search targeted contraband and illegal items that compromise the safety and orderly management of the facility.
Teams comprising correctional officials, supported by the SAPS, conducted a thorough search of cells and common areas, he said.
“The operation resulted in the confiscation of several prohibited items, including cell phones, sharp objects, and other prohibited substances. The centre will have to answer how these items entered the facility and to identify individuals involved,” said Nxumalo.
Commissioner Thobakgale emphasised the Department’s zero-tolerance stance toward security breaches and the importance of maintaining correctional facilities as safe and rehabilitative spaces.
"We remain committed to rooting out contraband and ensuring compliance with our operational standards. Such operations reaffirm our commitment to upholding the rule of law and protecting the integrity of our correctional system," said Thobakgale.
Thobakgale said cellphones, cash, and makeshift systems used to transport contraband between cells were found.
He said there were three contributing factors to consider.
The first, he said, is offenders who go to court, including those who are sentenced, are further charged and return to court, as well as the remand detainees who go to court but have not yet been sentenced. “They interact with the public, and they bring contraband into the facility.”
He added that there is also a risk from some Department employees who come to work every day and bring contraband.
“The third one is the families when they visit,” said Thobakgale.
Thobakgale said those who are found with contraband are charged and then have to be reclassified.
“This is a medium facility. If we find an offender with a cellphone, contraband, or an illegal item, we basically reclassify that offender to be high risk and we take that offender to another facility where security detail will be more stringent, equal to the type of behaviour,” he said.
The department will continue to implement robust measures to address challenges within correctional facilities and ensure the rehabilitation of offenders in a secure environment, he said.
