Prisons

Murder at Mangaung Prison: Leaked report shows ‘Facebook rapist’ was dead before a fire broke out in his cell

Leaked documents show that Thabo Bester was already dead before a fire broke out in his cell

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News | 20 January 2023

Prisons watchdog needs sharper teeth

Judicial Inspectorate for Correctional Services is struggling for independence

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Opinion | 28 November 2022

End solitary confinement, Edwin Cameron tells Parliament

Judicial Inspectorate of Correctional Services calls for extensive reforms to prison system

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Parliament | 11 November 2022

Man spent two years in prison before charges were dropped

He contracted HIV and was forcibly tattooed while in jail. Now he has been awarded R2-million in damages.

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Law | 10 November 2022

Many mysteries surround the death of ‘Facebook rapist’ Thabo Bester

SAPS says the outcome of DNA tests to determine the body’s identity can be expected “at any stage”, six months on from the fire.

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News | 8 November 2022

Pollsmoor wardens picket for higher wages and better working conditions

“Minister Lamola can you work eight hours everyday for 11 days without a rest?”

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Brief | 12 October 2022

Why independent healthcare inside prisons is vital

Prisoners are overlooked in an already unequal health system

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Opinion | 25 May 2022

Broken bureaucracy violating prisoners’ rights

Sifiso Tembe may or may not be guilty. But he has definitely not been given a fair trial process

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News | 10 May 2022

Prison visits reinstated as National State of Disaster ends

Covid mandatory protocols and regulations will still be adhered to during visits

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Brief | 7 April 2022

Parole backlog piling up on minister’s desk

Prisoners spend years in jail beyond their minimum detention periods waiting for parole

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News | 30 March 2022

Video: Should prisoners have access to cellphones?

Phones have been used to expose abuses and there is already a thriving illicit market for them in prisons

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Video | 28 February 2022

Reports reveal horrors of solitary confinement in prisons

Judicial Inspectorate for Correctional Services says this is a violation of the Constitution

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News | 18 January 2022

Inmates share grim pictures of life in Kgosi Mampuru prison

Inmates inside the Kgosi Mampuru Correctional Facility in Pretoria have described conditions as inhumane, dangerous and a health hazard.

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Video | 14 December 2021

Our faulty approach to life sentences is catching up with us

Our prisons are crowded with “lifers”, at great cost to us all

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Opinion | 10 November 2021

A tale of two prisoners: Juane Jacobs and Jacob Zuma

Juane Jacobs is a prisoner at Leeuwkop in Johannesburg. He is extremely ill but he has been denied medical parole. Are double standards being used to determine who gets medical parole in South African correctional facilities?

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Video | 21 September 2021