Statement by Janho Engelbrecht MP – DA Spokesperson on Correctional Services:
The Democratic Alliance (DA) demands answers after a violent incident at Drakenstein Correctional Centre.
The DA will conduct an oversight visit to the Drakenstein Correctional Centre in the coming days to assess the situation firsthand and engage with management, staff, and inmate representatives.
Prisons have become breeding grounds for gangs whose currency is violence and chaos. At the same time, rehabilitation programmes are deprioritised due to limited resources. The result is that unrehabilitated, violent criminals are released back into our communities after serving their time—making those communities more dangerous, not less. Our prisons are in crisis. Mismanagement, severe budget constraints, critical staff shortages, and chronic overcrowding have created an environment where neither wardens nor inmates are safe.
According to information revealed by Netwerk24 on Monday, the inmate was allegedly assaulted by a group of guards on Saturday evening or Sunday morning, reportedly after the inmate had stabbed a guard in the face with a sharp object. The incident is said to have occurred within the Medium A section of the facility.
The Department of Correctional Services (DCS), through spokesperson Singabakho Nxumalo, has confirmed that an internal investigation is underway. The department has undertaken to make a comprehensive report public once the preliminary investigation has been completed. The Minister must ensure that the upcoming investigation report is thorough, transparent, and made public without delay.
While the outcome of the investigation is pending, the circumstances surrounding this alleged death are deeply concerning. If true, this points to a complete breakdown of discipline and professionalism within the facility.
This is not the first violent incident in the Medium A section. In February 2023, five inmates attacked and stabbed four guards with homemade sharp weapons shortly after cells were unlocked. At the time, DCS stated that only “minor force was needed to bring the attack to an end.”
Instead of prison being rehabilitative, they have become violent schools of crime and breeding grounds for gangs – this must end.
