Prisons in South Africa are run by the Department of Correctional Services. According to the ministry, there are approximately 34,000 employees of the department running 240 prisons.[citation needed] In those prisons are nearly 156,000 inmates as of August 2013.[1] The prisons include minimum, medium and maximum security facilities. Since 2019, the Minister of Correctional Services has been Ronald Lamola.
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Main article: Prison reform in South Africa |
The prison system in South Africa was first introduced by the European settlers. Even in the pre-apartheid era, racial factors played a major role, with white prisoners living in better conditions and receiving better treatment than their black counterparts. During the apartheid era, cultural norms afforded the subjectivity of guilt to the assessment of the whites, which led to Black South Africans being adversely affected. Prisons were segregated on the basis of race during this period. In the post-apartheid era, a number of reforms were initiated, and the irrelevant role that race had played until then was removed.
During the Apartheid era, many political activists were imprisoned for campaigning against the government.[citation needed] These include: ANC freedom fighters such as Nelson Mandela (1962-1990), Walter Sisulu, (1963-1989), Govan Mbeki (1963-1987), Raymond Mhlaba (1963-1989), Tokyo Sexwale (1977-1990) and many others. A notable recent inmate was Annanias Mathe, a serial killer, the only person to escape from the maximum security prison C Max in Pretoria.
Notable prisons include:[2]
