Human rights lawyer seeks answers from new minister on St Albans torture claims

01 Feb 2016 | Admin Author

A human rights lawyer who brought a class action law suit against the Department of Correctional Services, has written to the new minister asking why disciplinary action had been stopped against prison warders who allegedly tortured inmates during a crack-down nine years ago at St Albans prison outside Port Elizabeth.

The class action suit is currently underway in the Port Elizabeth High Court where human rights lawyer, Egon Oswald, instituted a claim for damages on behalf of the first four of more than 230 inmates who claimed to have been variously tortured by prison warders during the St Albans crack-down.

He told Algoa FM News on Monday that he had written to the new Minister of Correctional Services, Michael Masuthu, hoping that he will provide a satisfactory answer within ten days.

Oswald says he first heard that disciplinary action had been withdrawn against the officials about two months ago during the process of discovery when documents changed hands.

He says his clients are unhappy that these disciplinary proceedings had been curtailed.

"Well we hoping to get some sort of response because it's a new minister and perhaps we will get a change of attitude with regard to this particular problem. We feel we should give them an opportunity in any event and the law requires that we should request reasons from them before we take any action, it's a dual process." says Oswald.