The Kutama Sinthumule maximum security prison warders embarked on a two-day strike last Tuesday as a result of a dispute between South African Custodial Management (SACM) and prison warders at Makhado (Louis Trichardt).

More than 400 warders embarked on the strike and activities at the prison were severely disrupted when warders forced the management off the prison premises. Police and armed guards from Interactive Security Company had to be called in as chaos erupted inside the prison. More than 2 000 prisoners apparently tried to break down doors with the intent to get food and medication, which they could not get as a result of the strike, said warders who wished to remain anonymous.

The warders said that they started with the sit-in last Tuesday night. They undertook to remain on the premises until they were addressed by the prison management. The warders complained about pension issues and some claimed to have worked at SACM for 12 years without accumulating a sizable pension.

Warders said they were unhappy about the management´s failure to consult with them on pressing issues. They added that the prison management had failed to act in terms of the recommendations on their grievances and that was why the members had gone on strike. “We negotiated in good faith, but when it came to implementation, they acted in bad faith," the warders said. They also demanded that the company's headquarters be relocated from Johannesburg to Makhado, so as to best serve the workers.

The warders returned to work last Friday after they had resolved their grievances with the management of the prison. Efforts to get comment from SACM director Indiran Pillay were not successful as his phone kept on ringing.