Whistleblower exposes sexual abuse in SA prisons

CLAIM GOES VIRAL

- GENEVIEVE SERRA

A CORRECTIONAL officer who has gone viral on social media, exposing widespread sexual abuse, rape and lawlessness in South African prisons, has reached the attention of the minister for investigation.

The video of the officer from Westville Prison in KwaZulu-Natal, who is dressed in uniform, was shared on TikTok and received 137k likes by yesterday.

In the six-minute video he says: “I have seen in a lot of podcasts, ex-offenders are romantising being in jail, they make it seem like it is a holiday-inn. Don’t be fooled by them because these people are damaged, their hearts are traumatised, mentally and emotionally. Many of the offenders, they come into jail, without any chronic disease but then when they leave they have diseases. I have never heard of anal cancer until I worked at a prison because the anus is where they are penetrated by other men and also that is where they hide the contraband.”