Mpumalanga News received a tip-off from an offender who wished to remain anonymous, incarcerated in the Medium B section of the centre.
He said officials have not implemented the necessary precautions.
“We have got a problem with the head of the prison. When we raise concerns, he says he does not talk to offenders. Firstly, how are we going to be protected from this virus when we do not have water?
“They close the taps from 09:00 to 23:00 at night. There is no hygiene whatsoever. There are no sanitisers, however, on Sunday they sprayed in a certain section of the cells. Those are our concerns and no one seems to care,” he said.
The inmate also mentioned other concerns, such as dilapidated mattresses and shortage of uniforms. He said his plea is for the Department of Correctional Services to look into the situation and find amicable solutions.
“At the end of the day, we are humans. There are a lot of us in one cell. Imagine one of us contracts the virus; that would be disastrous. We need proper hygiene and we need it now. If nothing is going to happen going forward, I am afraid the virus will find its way to this centre. I do not even know how offenders will quarantine themselves with the overcrowding,” he said.
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