5 Inmates Sue Department of Correctional Services for R10 Million for Alleged Brutality, Abuse and Torture

• Five inmates have taken legal action against the Minister of Justice and Correctional Services and his department
• The prisoners claim that they were brutalised by prison guards in August 2014 and want a R10 million payout
• South Africans are not happy that the inmates want financial compensation and say that victims should be able to sue perpetrators too

JOHANNESBURG - The Minister of Justice and Correctional Services Ronald Lamola and his department are being sued for R10 million by five current and former inmates at the Leeuwkop Maximum Correctional Centre in Johannesburg, Gauteng.

The lawsuit was first issued in 2015 after the inmates alleged that they were beaten with batons, electrocuted and punched by prison officials. The inmates also alleged that they had dogs unleashed on them by the prison officials.

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News24 reports that the inmates are now seeking compensation for their pain, suffering, and emotional trauma as a result of the assault, torture, and loss of amenities.

Four of the five prisoners have accused the prison guards of unlawfully placing them under solitary confinement.

The alleged assault took place on 10 August 2014. The case is now being heard by the Gauteng High Court after it was delayed due to the Covid-19 pandemic but will now continue.

According to IOL, the depart of correctional services has denied that the inmates were ever torched and stated that prison guards sometimes need to use force because prisoners use objects to jam cell gates when conducting searches.

Here's what South Africans have to say about the matter:

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@2951cfb921004f2 said:

"If they get their awards, then their victims who were affected in the criminal cases for which they went to jail should sue them for similar damages. It is ironic how a criminal inmate uses the constitution they contravened to extort money from the taxpayers!"

@JasonKhumaloII said:

"Lol, but we can't sue them for highjacking, robbing, raping, murdering, assaulting, and scamming people. It's true that prisoners have more rights than law-abiding citizens, and it's always fun in jail."

@Rrasel_ said:

"I wonder if @RonaldLamola knows about the inmates that live stream on tiktok?"

Police Minister Bheki Cele ordered to pay Gauteng man R500 000 for wrongful arrest in 2017

In other news, Briefly News previously reported that a Gauteng man has received justice after the courts granted R500 000 for his wrongful arrest by the South African Police Service in 2017.

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In January 2017, Elpacino Victor Maphosa was apprehended on charges of armed robbery and was detained for 26 days before being granted bail of R2 000. In August that year, the police withdrew the case against Maphosa.

The Gauteng High Court ruled in favour of Maphosa after he sued the Minister of Police Bheki Cele and his department for his arrest and the deplorable conditions he was detained under, reports News24.

Source: Briefly News