South Africa’s Department of Correctional Services is under fire after photos emerged over the weekend of inmates in one of the country’s prisons being entertained by strippers.
On Monday, the Department confirmed the veracity of the photos, where scantily-clad women are seen in thigh-high boots pressing themselves against inmates, which were taken at Johannesburg’s Medium B prison also known as “Sun City,” according to the BBC.
Photo Credit: Daily Mail
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Acting National Correctional Services Commissioner James Smallberger told journalists at a press conference also on Monday that investigations in to the incident are underway and the officials involved have been suspended and made to face the “full might of our code of conduct.”
“We can never tolerate what we have seen on the social media since Saturday,” Smallberger said.
The suggestive photos were taken at an event celebrating Youth Month on June 21st, a program organizers say is meant to help with the rehabilitation of prisoners.
But Smallberger said, “The intention was never to have strippers or dancers in the facility…. We want to apologize to the citizens of South Africa for this incident.”
A correctional service staff told TimesLive, “When the dancers arrived‚ we saw that they were wearing lingerie. They had some sort of strip show for the offenders.”
Senior department officials say that prison staff should have stopped the women from performing.
“It is not acceptable for female persons to appear like that in front of offenders,” Smallberger said.
“The management of the event should have never allowed, and immediately halted, this type of explicit entertainment, as pronounced by our policies.
“Therefore, there was a clear breach of the security plan that was provided for the event as well as other relevant policies and procedures.”
The pictures, which have now gone viral on several online platforms, prompted some South Africans on social media to quip sarcastically that perhaps life was more fun on the inside of prison walls than on the outside.
Smallberger assured journalists that the racy entertainment was provided by a private sponsor and not funded with taxpayers’ money.
