Johannesburg : He may have written it more than 60 years ago, but George Orwell's insight in Animal Farm never ceases to influence, with prisoners now the latest to complain of some convicts being more equal than others.

This follows an outcry from the South African Organisation for Human Rights (Sapohr), that convicted former ANC MP Tony Yengeni could be receiving "excessively five-star … preferential treatment" at the Malmesbury prison.

Sapohr president Miles Bhudu said his office had been inundated with calls from prisoners at Malmesbury that Yengeni, who was sentenced last week, was being treated differently from other convicts.

"Sapohr is outraged, but not surprised by reports that Yengeni is treated … as if he is on vacation on some island," Bhudu said, questioning why Yengeni was kept at a hospital cell instead of normal prison accommodation.

"A brand new double bed, big-screen TV, different kind of foods, regular visits by his wife … are some of the acts blatantly disregarding the rules and regulations. At the same time, it is making a mockery of the Department of Correctional Services," he said. He added that unless government, and the ANC in particular, condemned Yengeni's "preferential" treatment, the ideal that everyone is equal before the law would remain a myth.

Head of Malmesbury prison, Sipho Nyambi, dismissed all allegations of preferential treatment, but confirmed that Yengeni was kept in a hospital ward "for safety reasons".

With acknowledgement to Lebogang Seale and Cape Times.