Matatshe is the most overcrowded prison

THOHOYANDOU – The province set another record during the past month. According to reports, the Thohoyandou prison, or Matatshe as it is called, is the most overcrowded prison in South Africa.

A team from Correctional Services, led by the chairperson of the portfolio committee on Correctional Services, Mr Dennis Bloem, visited the Thohoyandou Prison on a fact-finding mission earlier this week.

The main purpose is to check how the prisons are overcrowded, to verify the number of people who are qualifying for parole and to investigate the situation within the prison.

According to Bloem, the prison is the most overcrowded in the country. It was amazing to see that a single cell, built for one person, has to accommodate from seven to nine people. The medium and minimum cells are loaded with 1 035 inmates, instead of 320, and each cell scheduled to accommodate 20 people is currently accommodating 71 people, all sharing one toilet and a shower.

Currently, the total number of inmates at the prison is 2 800, more than double the 1 100 it was designed for.

The Thohoyandou Prison’s communication manager, Ms Shonisani Tshivhase, said it is true the prison is one of the most overcrowded prisons around South Africa. She stated the cause of that plight is because the prison is accommodating inmates from Limpopo, Gauteng, North-West and Mpumalanga. At this stage, the prison is focusing on rehabilitation programs and development skills for the inmates to reduce crime and the overcrowded situation.

News - Date: 08 October 2004

Elijar Mushiana-NIPA

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