Congress of the People (COPE) has condemned the brutal killing of a female correctional services official at the Goedemoed prison in the Eastern Cape allegedly by an inmate serving life sentence.
The party says it blames the attack on the severe staff shortage in prisons. Spokesperson Dennis Bloem says shortage of staff is the biggest problem facing the Department of Correctional services and forever puts the lives of the department’s officials in danger.
Bloem says the minister of Correctional services Michael Masutha and his department are ignoring the problem and turning a blind eye.
“Minister Masutha must take full responsibility for the death of this official because he ignored the plight of his officials who on many occasions raised the problem of staff shortages in the department. COPE calls upon President Cyril Ramaphosa to institute an urgent investigation into the official’s death the circumstances surrounding it and what led to the hostage incident at the Goedemoed center,” says Bloem.
