A final report on the Jali Commission’s investigation into corruption and maladministration in prisons is being compiled, with gun smuggling one of the issues addressed.
”We hope the recommendations will address all the problems in the Department of Correctional Services … C-Max is one of the prisons that fall in the nine management areas we looked at,” said commission secretary Charles Frank on Tuesday.
C-Max prison made headline news in the past 48 hours, after a weapon was allegedly smuggled into the facility, resulting in the deaths of the prison head, a warder and two prisoners.
Frank said more than 100 people, including prisoners, ex-prisoners, members of the department and the public, gave evidence to the commission.
”There have been volumes and volumes of testimony. To date, we have 11 interim reports,” he said.
These interim reports were handed to President Thabo Mbeki, who authorised the commission’s work, as well as to Minister of Correctional Services Ngconde Balfour.
Asked about the effectiveness of the commission, Frank said the department has taken disciplinary action against numerous officials, acting on interim reports.
”Action is still being taken. Many members were dismissed or suspended.”
Frank said the final report will be ”very voluminous” because of the amount of evidence, the time the commission sat and the size of the department.
There is no deadline date for the final report to be completed.
The last hearings were in September.
Judge Thabani Jali headed the commission, following a presidential proclamation in August 2001. Official hearing of evidence only started in February 2002.
A shocking video showing a sexual encounter between an older prisoner and a juvenile prisoner at Grootvlei prison near Bloemfontein captured the public’s imagination, and helped lift the lid on nefarious activities in prisons. — Sapa