Lamola responds to article about Sun City prison ‘pretending’ to be Covid-19 ready

After the Sunday Times published an article about how Johannesburg Prison, popularly known as Sun City, had only put on a fake show of preparedness against the coronavirus – including water disguised as hand sanitiser – the department of justice and correctional services has responded with a long statement.

The Sunday Times reported that they had not been given any responses in time for publication by department spokesperson Chrispin Phiri, though the department says the “publication had not considered our response”.

The article alleges that prison officials “staged an elaborate charade” on Wednesday to “fool” Minister of Justice and Correctional Services Ronald Lamola when he inspected the prison for its  preparedness and protocols against the spread of the deadly coronavirus.

While Lamola was there, staff were wearing gloves and masks and screening visitors, but this apparently all ended as soon as he and his entourage left, and the hand sanitiser in use had apparently not even been real anyway.

Phiri said it was “fake news” that there was a shortage of PPEs.

He said the department was “focused on prevention, containment/treatment and disaster recovery”.

He, however, said they were unaware of prisoners doing duty without protective equipment, and asked the Sunday Times for “further clarity”.

He disputed several of “the allegations made” and insisted that “there has been screening at Johannesburg and supplies are being provided continuously, both for inmates and officials”.

“Improving personal and environmental hygiene, provision of personal equipment, sanitisation and decontamination interventions is what we have been doing and continue to do in Johannesburg … where shortages are experienced, the department has a system in place to assist correctional centres in need of stock whilst awaiting delivery. Centres have a flexibility to share resources and we continue to engage with our officials and inmates.”

You can read the rest of the department’s responses below in full.

Response to Sunday Times April 12 2020 by Charles Cilliers on Scribd