Correctional Department three to get ‘strip tease’ surprise
“The three remaining officers are still on leave and will be issued with the letters when they return from leave.”
THREE Department of Correctional Service employees, who were on leave and who are linked to a security breach will receive an inevitable surprise as they face possible suspension because of the half-naked ‘strippers’ who bypassed prison security to entertain sex offenders recently.
A total of 13 correctional service officials in both senior and junior positions could be without jobs pending findings of an on-going investigation which sent shock waves throughout the country.
A group of semi-naked women made their way into the Johannesburg’s Medium B Prison premises during a June 16 celebration on June 21 intending to help rehabilitate offenders.
Shocking photos of the celebration rocked the country as they trended on social media resulting in the correctional services holding an emergency media briefing on Monday to address speculation.
The correctional service department confirmed preliminary findings linked the 13 officials to the security breach.
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A representative from the correctional service, Logan Maistry, said 10 of the officers linked to the June 16 celebration had been given letters.
“The three remaining officers are still on leave and will be issued with the letters of contemplation to suspend when they return from leave.”
Maistry said a senior official, who would not be disclosed, spearheaded the sensitive much-awaited investigation.
The official, according to Maistry, was a director from outside Johannesburg Prison and was a neutral body.
The department on Monday had said a report-back on the preliminary findings would be provided by the department.
Asked whether there were any findings, Maistry said the findings would be disclosed to management when the entire investigation was concluded to avoid sensitive information being disclosed during an ongoing investigation.
He said the department would conclude investigations as soon as possible however they needed to follow procedures such as labour laws and policies.
“We under no circumstance want to handle matters unlawfully.”
The Department of Correctional Services was egg-faced on Monday after a gallery of three half-naked women trended in social media.
The acting national commissioner of the department, James Smalberger, confirmed that the photos were taken from the prison.
He said the illicit images circulating on social media were condemned by the department.
He said preliminary findings transpired that the form of entertainment, as depicted on social media, was not approved as it was not in line with department’s policies and procedures, which were clear in terms of appropriate clothing and behaviour when inside a correctional environment.
“The management of the event should have never allowed and immediately halted this type of explicit entertainment, as pronounced by our policies.”
He said it was a clear breach of security.
According to Smallberger, six items of entertainment were on a programme during the Youth Day celebration on June 21st but the illicit half naked dancers were never approved.
The questions to be answered once the investigations are concluded were:
How was the dance group allowed to bypass a bureaucratic access regulated institution?
What are the names of those linked to the security breach, their positions and what their punishment would be?
The findings of the investigation.
Who was responsible for the final signature to approve the alleged half-naked strip tease of sex offenders?
Investigations continue as the department gears up for a turbulent outcome to an infamous saucy security breach.
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