The Department of Correctional Services (DCS) has confirmed the dismissal of a female official filmed having sex with a male prisoner at a KwaZulu-Natal correctional facility.
Department spokesperson, Singabakho Nxumalo, added the prisoner has since been moved to a different facility and his privileges have been taken away. Nxumalo said a second official, the officer who let the couple use her office to have sex, has also been fired.
“The correctional official in the video and her colleague who allowed her office to be used for the sexual act, were both dismissed.
“This outcome emanates from a disciplinary processes which was instituted following the unfortunate incident. The inmate involved was also not spared any mercy as he has been reclassified into Maximum category, he lost privileges and has been moved to another facility,” Nxumalo said.
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The code of conduct is clear
Nxumalo added that the department wanted to reiterate that coitus acts and other forms of sexual attachment or illicit romance between officials and inmates can never be allowed nor tolerated.
“The code of conduct is explicit to this regard and those found to have breached this barrier shall face the consequences. DCS will not hesitate to act against any form of transgressions.
Ideally, correctional officials must be exemplary not only to inmates, but to the broader general society,” Nxumalo said.
The pair’s steamy video went viral after it was shared on social media in March.
The clip shows the prisoner kissing the official, dressed in full uniform. The pair are then seen engaging in a sexual act, both aware that their ‘act’ is being filmed.
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Prison officials under the spotlight
In 2017, a Losperfontein Correctional Centre official took her own life after images of the official’s relationship with a prisoner were leaked online.
At the time, Nxumalo said they were unaware of how the images were shared.
SA Prisoners Organisation of Human Rights spokesperson, Golden Miles Bhudu, told the Daily News that reports of relationships between inmates and officials were not new.
“It is headlines today and as old as the mountains the next day and nothing comes of it. The mandate of this prison was lost along the line many years ago. Tomorrow it will happen again,” he said.
“If the system worked, these things were not going to happen. You will have a correctional officer that was well trained, well focused, well paid and not overworked. And you will have a prisoner that is also there to be educated, to be trained, to be given skills, so the prisoner can become rehabilitated and then reintegrated as a useful and productive citizen. Those things would have been in place but the system fell apart years ago,” he added.
