Parliamentary committee raises alarm over prison death reporting failures and corruption allegations
The Portfolio Committee on Correctional Services has expressed serious concerns regarding the reporting of inmate deaths and allegations of corruption within correctional facilities. Following a review of the Judicial Inspectorate for Correctional Services' JICS first-quarter performance for 2026/27, the committee highlighted significant gaps in confirming custodial fatalities. Committee Chairperson Kgomotso Anthea Ramolobeng stated that JICS only confirmed 54.5% of unnatural deaths and 51.59% of natural deaths, emphasizing that there should be no uncertainty or administrative gaps when a person dies in state custody. The committee noted a rise in unnatural deaths, with 44 reported in the first quarter compared to 24 in the same period last year, and a 25% increase in complaints, including inmate-on-inmate assaults and incidents involving officials. Furthermore, the committee voiced deep concern over allegations that inmates at Kgosi Mampuru II Correctional Centre are forced to pay for bunk beds, with those unable to pay allegedly sleeping on concrete floors. These claims also suggest money is channeled outside the facility and may involve sexual coercion. The Department of Correctional Services has committed to investigating these allegations, and the committee insists on an urgent, thorough, and transparent probe. Reports of contraband smuggling, including the recent arrest of a correctional official, also heightened concerns. Ramolobeng stressed that officials involved in
