praag.co.uk

South Africa's prisoners have too many privileges and eat better meals than people outside prison, parliamentarians heard on Thursday during a public hearing on the review of the country's criminal justice system.

 

"Its something we have been hearing since visiting the Eastern Cape, the privileges of inmates, it has come out very strongly," Dennis Bloem, Parliament's correctional services committee chairman, said.

 

"The food is better than outside and they watch TV the whole day."

 

Bloem said he had to agree that privileges of prisoners should not be seen as rights.   
"Prison must be prison," he said.

 

Bloem and the portfolio committee chairwoman on safety and security Maggie Sotyu spoke to journalists during a public hearing in Maokeng in Kroonstad where the two, with the portfolio committee on justice, were holding a public hearing on the review of South Africa's criminal justice system.