Local News
Groenpunt prison: Journalists overstepped agreement─── 09:19 Thu, 17 Jan 2013
Mariné Jacobs -
Deneysville - Journalists who claim to have witnessed the assault of an inmate by prison warders at the Groenpunt maximum security prison outside Deneysville in the Free State, were in breach of security regulations at the prison.
This is according to the chairperson of the Portfolio Committee of Correctional Services, Vincent Smith.
Smith says that during a visit of the portfolio committee to the prison, where inmates rioted last week, it was agreed that journalists would not accompany parliament members to the damaged cells and were not allowed to take photographs.
After three inmates attacked and stabbed a prison official, journalists realized something had happened and rushed to the scene, breaking the agreement:
Smith said the photographs taken by the journalists were deleted. He says it is unknown at this stage where the inmates got the weapon used to stab the official, but confirmed that they will be criminally charged.
Deneysville - Journalists who claim to have witnessed the assault of an inmate by prison warders at the Groenpunt maximum security prison outside Deneysville in the Free State, were in breach of security regulations at the prison.
This is according to the chairperson of the Portfolio Committee of Correctional Services, Vincent Smith.
Smith says that during a visit of the portfolio committee to the prison, where inmates rioted last week, it was agreed that journalists would not accompany parliament members to the damaged cells and were not allowed to take photographs.
After three inmates attacked and stabbed a prison official, journalists realized something had happened and rushed to the scene, breaking the agreement:
Smith said the photographs taken by the journalists were deleted. He says it is unknown at this stage where the inmates got the weapon used to stab the official, but confirmed that they will be criminally charged.
Chairperson of the Portfolio Committee of Correctional Services, Vincent Smith:
