By Lehlohonolo Lehana.
A female inmate at the Johannesburg Correctional Centre commonly known as Sun City prison has died as a result of injuries after being tortured at the facility.
Our investigation revealed that the torture took place on the night of the raid at Sun City prison, which took place in July 2024, after the inmate was found in possession of four phones.
The raid was part of a broader effort to address corruption and security lapses in South Africa’s prisons, which saw the seizure of items such as PlayStations, cellphones, and drugs. But many inmates continue to live in comfort and remain able to communicate with the outside world with ease.
This situation highlights a broader issue in South Africa’s prisons, where raids seem ineffective in preventing inmates from accessing banned items.
She was then taken to the interrogation room, to confess and that is where the torture took place.
While she was tortured she requested to remove the tongue ring, which was hurting her and they refused.
As a result of the torture, the inmate suffered the broken rib and the internal bleeding.
According to our source, after the torture she was refused medical treatment and taken back to her prison cell, which was prison cell 3.
Fullview understands that when you’re found in possession of banned items, the facility moves inmates to another prison cells. In this case she was held in prison cell 2 before being moved.
At a later stage, She was then taken at the clinic inside the prison, which our investigation revealed it is in a bad condition, the building is dilapidated, and with no medication.
However, when the facility realized her condition was deteriorating, she was then transferred to the Baragwanath hospital, where she met her untimely death.
Our source indicated that while she was at the Baragwanath hospital on Saturday ,28 September 2024, her family visited her and during the visit the deceased showed one of her family members, that one of her guards at the hospital, was part of the wardens that tortured her.
Sadly she passed away on Monday evening, 30 September 2024 at 22:00.
The source went further to allege that the prison wardens are the one’s who are selling these phones to the inmates and at a later stage they confisticate them with force.
They then re-sell them to the other inmates for quick money, and Fullview learnt that the prison wardens are the actual perpetrators of crime in the prison facilities.
Fullview reached out to the Department of Correctional Services for comment on the allegations that the deceased died as a result of injuries that occurred during the torture.
The Department of Correctional Services national spokesperson Singabakho Nxumalo dismissed the allegations that the inmate was tortured, saying the inmate was not feeling well and transferred to an outside hospital.
Nxumalo said, the family can be provided with her medical report and cause of death.
He added, the allegations raised are definitely a lie.
When pressed on the allegations of torture and selling of mobile phones, Nxumalo said they cannot be substantiated.
He further continued to say that the department is not hiding anything and if there is anything to be uncovered, the investigations will assist hence all death cases involving inmates are subject of investigation where death is classified to be unnatural.
Fullview is in possession of the names of the wardens whom are allegedly to have been involved in a horrific incident.
The department refused us an opportunity to conduct the interviews with the implicated wardens, stating that it is an unfair practice.
We reached out to the family, they requested privacy but they’re considering on taking this matter further, with a possibility of legal action.