Umzinto Prison up in Flames as Inmates Protest on Roof of Facility
- The Umzinto Prison was reportedly up in flames on Monday, 12 July but has been contained, as confirmed by the department's spokesperson
- Eyewitnesses reported that they had seen prisoners fleeing the area of the fire but Singabakho Nxumalo stated that this was untrue
- Videos on social media show a number of people standing on the roof of the facility while the blaze continues to blow smoke into the air
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It has been alleged that prisoners have escaped from the Umzinto Prison. Reports state that the facility was full of smoke and that people kept coming out of it. It's been confirmed by sources at the scene that prisoners began to protest.
The above has yet to be confirmed by the department and what exactly transpired. Spokesperson for the department Singabakho Nxumalo stated that the situation has since returned to normal and that the fire started in section A of the prison.
People believed to be prisoners can be seen on the roof the facility as smoke continued to come out of the facility.
Source: Twitter
Nxumalo stated that the department has not established the cause of the fire nor have they found the motivation for those that started this fire.
Nxumalo explained that investigations have already started and that the important thing is that the main thing is that the fire has been contained. Nxumalo went on to say that they are concerned about how the fire was ignited within a prison cell. He added that the department is in control and that there were escapes, according to ECR.
The South Coast Herald reported that locals have claimed that they did see prisoners escaping.
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eThekwini shuts services down in order to protect employees, citizens and assets
Earlier, Briefly News reported that the eThekwini Municipality informed the public that there has been a suspension of bus services in the area on Monday, 12 July. This is a result of the protest action which started in KZN and made its way across the country.
The Municipality warned residents about possible other service delivery interruptions due to the civil unrest in KwaZulu-Natal. eThekwini has stressed the importance of the safety of their employees as well as the Municipality's assets.
They went on to say that they would be giving regular social media updates so that residents can keep up with what is happening in terms of service delivery within the Municipality.
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Source: Briefly News
