Jermaine Prim’s Family Alleges He Was Tortured and Starved

• The family of inmate Jermaine Prim, who allegedly shared a cell with Vusimuzi “Cat” Matlala, is concerned about his safety
• Prim recently made explosive allegations against the Sports, Arts, and Culture Minister, Gayton McKenzie
• His family made allegations against the prison as he was moved to Kgosi Mampuru II Correctional Centre over the weekend

With 10 years’ experience, Tebogo Mokwena, the Deputy Head of the Current Affairs desk, South Africa, provided insights into the criminal justice system, crime statistics, commissions of inquiry, and high-profile cases in South Africa at Daily Sun.

PRETORIA, GAUTENG— The family of Kgosi Mampuru II Correctional Centre inmate Jermaine Prim alleged that he was assaulted and deprived of food on 28 March 2026, a day after he conducted an interview with eNCA.

According to eNCA journalist Heidi Giokos, Prim’s family said that he was tortured in prison and has not been given food since 28 March. The family also confirmed that Prim had been moved to the facility.

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What did Prim say about McKenzie?

During his interview, Prim alleged that the Sports, Arts and Culture minister Gayton McKenzie was involved in the drug trade and was supplied by murder-accused Katiso “KT” Molefe. Molefe was alleged to be a member of the Big Five cartel, which was revealed in testimonies at the Madlanga Commission of Inquiry. Prim also accused McKenzie of being the reason for his incarceration at Kgosi Mampuru II prison. The convicted fraudster alleged that McKenzie threatened to have him incarcerated in C-Max after sharing a recording allegedly implicating him in the drug trade.

Prim alleged that McKenzie provided him with two cellphones, which he used to run social media campaigns for the Patriotic Alliance (PA) in Riverlea, Johannesburg. He also alleged that McKenzie was supposed to pay him back for investing money. He also revealed that McKenzie was a proxy of the Big Five Cartel.

South Africans react

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Netizens criticised the government, and some called for Prim to be protected.

Uyiphiwo Mdinsila said:

“The law decides the sentence. The constitution decides the treatment. No clause in the South African penal code allows for starvation. They aren’t correcting anyone.”

Tshegofatsomoon remarked:

“They are already taking measures to silence him.”

Mkhoshi Duma observed:

“This is not a prison story. It’s a control-of-information incident. The real trigger is not Jermaine or even the allegations. It is that an inmate successfully got a live media pipeline outside the correctional system. That is a breach of information monopoly, not just prison rules.”

TeeJay added:

“You have touched a few dangerous people in their studios.”

Nyiko was concerned.

“Our democracy is not safe with the current executive.”

DCS launches probe into prison interview

In a related article, Briefly News reported that the Department of Correctional Services launched an investigation into Prim’s interview with eNCA. The department maintained that the interview was unapproved and breached protocol as it lacked the Commissioner’s approval.

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The Department released a statement on 28 March and condemned the interview. It stated that media houses are required to formally apply for permission to interview offenders, and denied receiving an application from eNCA.

Source: Briefly News