Publication: Sunday Times Issued: Date: 2006-11-12 Reporter: Patrick McDowell

Soft Cell, But No Place in the Choir

 

Publication 

Sunday Times

Date

2006-11-12

Reporter

 Patrick McDowall

Web Link

www.sundaytimes.co.za

 

Schabir Shaik has managed to get into one of South Africa’s best prisons, which allows him perks like a TV set and contact visits, and has only two or three inmates per cell, as opposed to the nearly 40 prisoners in each cell at Durban’s Westville Prison.

But he will be barred from the prison choir.

Instead of spending the first night of his 15-year sentence in Durban’s Westville Prison as expected, Shaik was transferred to Empangeni’s Qalakabusha (“Start Fresh”) Prison. Correctional Services spokesman Luphumzo Kebeni said Shaik’s transfer was part of a “uniform procedure” that all prisoners go through. “The nature of the [prisoner’s] offence is entered into a computerised database and then a prison is determined,” he said.

A two-hour drive from Durban, Qalakabusha Prison was opened in November 2000 and is a “new generation” prison that emphasises rehabilitation.

“It’s a new prison,” said Lukas Mutingh of the Civil Society Prison Reform Initiative.

In South Africa, prisoners are classified into “minimum” “medium” and “maximum” categories . Shaik has been classified as a “Medium B” prisoner.

“There are restricted visits in the beginning,” said Kebeni. “Shaik has just entered and has to work his way up. Now it’s one visit a month and then it goes up.”

Prisoners earn points during their stay and are awarded special rights depending on the number of these points.

Mutingh said that “Medium B prisoners have 36 visits a year of 45 minutes’ duration, with no more than four a month.”

Shaik will enjoy contact visits that can include children.

Restrictions Shaik faces include no gifts from visitors, no conjugal visits, no jewellery, no hobbies in his cell ­ and he won’t be allowed to sing in the prison choir.

He will have access to the prison shop where he can spend R150 a month on goods such as snacks, radio batteries and phone cards *1. Over Christmas this amount increases to R225.

When asked when Shaik would be eligible for parole, Kebeni said this would be decided by the Parole Board.

With acknowledgements to Patrick McDowall and Sunday Times.


*1       Are correctionees allowed cellphones or must they use Telkom phones and phone cards?

Either way this allows them the communication opportunities to carry on with all kinds of business.