Correctional services department
Correctional Services probing cell death of convicted rapist Thabo Bester
Thabo Bester's body was found with burn wounds after the cell he was held in caught fire early Tuesday morning.
Zola Tongo, who helped orchestrate Anni Dewani’s murder in Cape Town in November 2010, was granted parole on Friday afternoon.
The former president has been released on medical parole for an undisclosed condition.
Zuma was sentenced to 15 months in prison by the Constitutional Court for contempt, for failing to appear before the state capture inquiry and answer questions.
This comes after the Department of Correctional Services announced that Zuma underwent a surgical procedure on Saturday and is scheduled to go through others soon.
Correctional Services was already battling with overcrowded jails, staff and budget cuts and the COVID-19 pandemic. Now it is dealing with a flood of remand detainees who are putting resources under further strain.
On Tuesday, the Health Department launched the Correctional Services' vaccination rollout campaign at the facility.
Correctional Services Minister Ronald Lamola said the vaccination of prison officials and inmates had been prioritised to ensure their safety and that of the general public.
Justice and Correctional Services Minister Ronald Lamola will launch the sector’s vaccination rollout programme in Johannesburg which will see about 138,000prisoners receive their COVID-19 vaccine.
The police's Sibongile Soci said that an investigation into how they managed to escape was ongoing.
This comes after supporters of the jailed African National Congress councillor allege that he’ll be released on parole next week.
This comes after a correctional services official was apprehended for allegedly killing his wife who also worked in the department.
So far, just under 7,000 of 19,000 prisoners have been released on the special parole dispensation to combat the spread of the coronavirus in prisons.
Zola Tongo was sentenced to 18 years in prison for his role in Anni Dewani's killing in 2010.
Correctional Services Department spokesperson Singabakho Nxumalo said that the department was working to speed up the release process while ensuring that measures, including victim participation and social reintegration programmes, were not compromised.
At least 2,280 inmates were released after President Cyril Ramaphosa approved parole for about 19,000 prisoners in an effort to curb the spread of the virus in overcrowded facilities.
Several prisoners are sounding alarms over what they say is a lack of oversight in dealing with the virus within the correctional services centres.
Judge Chantal Fortuin found September's case amounted to unfair discrimination and ordered sensitisation training for all staff in the Department of Justice and Correctional Services.
Justice and Correctional Services Minister Ronald Lamola gave an update on the investigation before delivering his budget speech on Wednesday morning.