WHILE 9 August might be a special day in Mzansi, Zizamele Cebekhulu-Makhaza, president of Police and Prisons Civil Rights Union (POPCRU) couldn’t help but speak on the poor conditions and examples of physical violence in women’s prisons.
He said as the country celebrates Women’s Day, it is important not to ignore or overlook the many vulnerable and forgotten women in our country’s prisons.
“Female prisoners face many terrible experiences in our prisons, including physical assaults and violence. Many of these women have already suffered abuse and violence in their lives outside of prison and yet they are subjected to additional trauma within its walls.
“This is made worse by extreme overcrowding, a shortage of correctional service officers to ensure their safety and a lack of effective reporting mechanisms. This is a disturbing cycle that we cannot ignore any longer,” said Cebekhulu-Makhaza.
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While some may argue that conditions are slightly better for prisoners in certain facilities, where access to education, vocational programmes, social workers and psychologists are provided, Cebekhulu-Makhaza argued that the reality remains bleak for most incarcerated women.
He acknowledged that government is actively taking steps to lower cases of gender-based violence in women's prisons but emphasises the need for more to ensure female inmates have better lives in prison to give them the best chance of rehabilitation.
"This includes consistent training and resources for prison warders and to substantially increase staffing numbers to better protect female inmates from further physical or emotional harm.
"The Constitution and Correctional Services Act both outline proper conditions for prisoners, stressing their dignity and meeting their basic nutritional, healthcare and wellness needs. But the reality of conditions in our prisons falls far short of this mandate," said Cebekhulu-Makhaza.
He believes it is time to break the silence and raise awareness on the violence and poor living conditions in prisons and demand urgent action from government and society for positive change.
