St Albans prison in the Eastern Cape has been hit by another stabbing brawl – just two months after the Department of Correctional Services sent its top brass to the centre to engage on issues that led to violent stabbing spree which resulted in three people losing their lives.
In the latest incident last week two prison warders were allegedly stabbed with knives by inmates in the medium A section where awaiting trial prisoners are detained.
Deputy Regional Commissioner, Nozipiwo Dumbela, confirmed to ANA that a stabbing incident took place at the centre a week ago.
“The two officials that were stabbed at St Albans did not sustain serious wounds and are still recuperating at home,” she said.
Dumbela said the incident was reported to police and was currently under investigation.
“The stabbing was initiated by inmates at the centre and the internal investigation will determine if this was gang related or not,” she said.
“The inmates [who] practice gangsterism irrespective of their gang affiliation are always isolated for the safety of other inmates and officials, therefore, their isolation is not connected to the stabbing except for the perpetrators of the two incidents.”
Dumbela said the section was not under lockdown.
On December 26 last year, mayhem broke out when 33 prisoners, some armed with sharp objects and self made knives, started attacking guards in the dining hall at the end of the morning meal shift.
The inmates involved in the wholesale attack were from cells 22 and 23 in the Maximum B ward, at the time these cells were reserved for the most problematic of offenders. The violent stabbing spree resulted in three inmates losing their lives and the injury of 13 officials.
Subsequently, during March this year Deputy Minister of Justice and Correctional Services, Thabang Makwetla, Eastern Cape Correctional Services Regional Commissioner, Nkosinathi Breakfast and National Commissioner Zach Modise were in Port Elizabeth to engage stakeholders in attempt to address tensions and ongoing burning issues of gangsterism within prison walls at St Albans.
At the time, Makwetla said that of lessons learnt following the brawl was the apparent laxity of prison officials to search inmates when moving them around for meals.
-African News Agency (ANA)
