Sentenced inmates at Johannesburg Correctional Centre, also known as "SunCity", have appealed to the government to do something about overcrowding in prison cells and also deal with their alleged mistreatment by correctional officers.
The appeal was made on Thursday during an unannounced visit by Deputy Minister of Justice and Correctional Services, Thabang Makwetla, to the prison's Medium B section.
The maximum security prison section houses 2631 inmates, with 567 of them serving anywhere from 10 years to multiple life sentences.
Percy Mashele, an inmate with a physical disability and serving a long sentence, said that the correctional service officers had been ignoring his pleas for a lower bed as prison cells have bunk beds.
A 79-year-old inmate, who has been serving a life sentence since 1994, complained to Makwetla that they have been waiting too long for the parole board to review the sentences of "lifers" while their health was deteriorating.
The unannounced raid was part of the department's "Operation Vala" to ensure the safety of inmates in correctional centres.
Makwetla promised the inmates that he would look into their concerns, and asked them to cooperate with officers.
- African News Agency (ANA
