Peter Dickson
A probe is under way into sexual harassment and racism claims by white women warders against the head of Port Elizabeth’s St Albans prison Medium B section.
Department of Correctional Services representative Patrick Baxter said the department viewed the allegations against section head Tamsanqa Khoza, accused of demanding sex from women warders in return for favourable reports or production bonuses, “in a serious light”, adding that a director was appointed “to investigate the matter fully”.
Two women warders sent written complaints to the department last week, saying they fear for their jobs.
In the late 1980s, St Albans earned a reputation for the torture of political prisoners. This was exposed by the then district surgeon, Dr Wendy Orr, in a landmark case against the minister of law and order. The prison served as “home” to the Eastern Cape leadership of the United Democratic Front.
In a letter to the Eastern Province Herald newspaper last week, women warders claimed their boss keeps pornographic material in his office, and had a picture of a naked white woman tacked to his filing cabinet.
“He openly tells members that he will not rest until he has slept with a white female,” they wrote. “He makes suggestions of sex to the female members. He phones them on their cellphones. He calls them to his office and then makes sexual advances and promises notch or production bonuses to try and get sex. He wants sexual favours from new women members or they will not get favourable reports.”
The women wrote that Khoza also flaunts his authority over the white warders. “He tells the warders that he is the black head of prison and they will do as he says or be transferred. He … tells the warders that it is now the time of the blacks and not the old South Africa. We as white members of staff work in fear of losing our jobs.”
Khoza could not be reached for comment.
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