Eleven officials and seven inmates had tested positive for Covid-19 at the Sada correctional services centre last week.
After receiving the news an inmate who contacted The Rep said: ”We were moved from our cells to different ones. As awaiting trial prisoners we are feeling anxious and concerned about our safety. We are overcrowded in two cells and there is no social distancing. We are likely to be infected. ”
He said they had heard about the parole of 19 000 sentenced offenders, but awaiting trial prisoners would be the last to be released as they were still suspects.
”We feel the government is not considering the reality that we will be infected by being kept here.”
He said part of the cause of fear was that they were left in the dark because the management had not briefed them about what to expect.
”We do not have toiletries and we do not eat healthy food. The elderly prisoners are also placed in our cells. We do not know what is happening, no one updates us.”
He said on Tuesday they were tested, but were awaiting their results.
Health MEC Sindiswa Gomba’s spokesperson, Judy Ngoloyi, said: ”The wife of a correctional services officer tested positive and the officers were tested as part of contact tracing. The officials and inmates who were contacts were tested. Their own contacts will be followed up.
”Positive inmates have isolation facilities in the centre. The department of health and the National Health Laboratories Service are assisting with testing.”
Ngoloyi said the plan was to relocate some inmates to Ngqamakwe after testing them and that the prison would not be shut down, but would be disinfected in phases and inmates moved to the disinfected cells.
National Correctional Services spokesperson Singabakho Nxumalo said: ”Sada Correctional Centre embarked on a mass testing of officials and inmates from Sunday, after the first positive case of an official was confirmed last Friday. The facility was decontaminated by an external service provider on Tuesday. ”
Nxumalo said protected mattresses were used at the quarantine sites and the inmates and officials had personal protective equipment. Sewing of reusable face masks had begun at the centre.
”Scrubbing and sanitation of the whole facility is taking place on a daily basis. Once all results have been received, the centre plans to move all offenders who test negative to one correctional centre. Offenders are continuously encouraged to practise personal hygiene and wash and sanitise their hands,” he said.
Nxumalo said there were five health care workers at the centre, to fight the spread of Covid-19.
He considered allegations about unhealthy food, shortage of toiletries and crowding of inmates into one cell as baseless and said they should be rejected.