Oscar Pistorius’s safety in prison is
guaranteed. This is according to prisoners at Pretoria’s Kgosi Mampuru II prison, to which Pistorius is likely to be sent should the Pretoria High Court sentence him to serve time in jail.
“People here are lovers not haters,” one
prisoner told The Times. “All Mr
Pistorius need do is associate himself
with positive people.”If imprisoned by Judge Thokozile Masipa, Pistorius is likely to live in a single cell in the prison’s hospital wing, acting national commissioner for correctional services Zach Modise testified in court yesterday.
Several prisoners serving time at Kgosi
Mampuru II yesterday said that
Pistorius’s fears about his wellbeing in
prison were unwarranted. One prisoner, serving 15 years for armed robbery and speaking on condition of anonymity, said:
“It is his fame that will give him his protection … that and whatever money he has to buy the necessaries. Bartering in prison is the game … cigarettes and money. If you have or can get them, then you are fine,” he said.
He said the advice of prisoners – who
had been watching the trial on mobile
satellite-TV devices – was that Pistorius
should associate with the “right people”.
“Associate with the right people, the
lovers: those who see a future for
themselves outside prison. Your
protection through your fame is a
definite. Everyone knows you. “Pistorius will have people who clean
and wash for him, do things for him,” he
said.
“The gangs will obviously try to protect
him, make promises and offers,
especially the senior members. Any
cellphone he wants is his. A smart-
phone, BlackBerry. It is already being
organised. The airtime is there.
“He need not worry about his family, he
can Skype with them any time. People in
here are getting ready for him,
organising things he might want or
need.
“We will make sure he remains the
fastest man in the world with no legs.
People know Mr Pistorius is a no-go, off
limits to any form of harm. Those
protecting him will not hesitate to do
what they must to ensure his protection,
but this comes at a cost.”
Golden Miles Bhudu, of the SA Prisoners’
Organisation for Human Rights, said the
protection Pistorius would receive in
prison would cost him and his family.
“Those inside, including the warders,
will run over themselves to protect and
help him. In the end he will live like a
king because of his fame and wealth.”
Outside court Modise was furious about
the protection being offered to Pistorius
by prisoners.
“Who are these people? How did they get
cellphones? I want their numbers. They
and you are breaking the law.”
He said the offer of protection by
prisoners for a fee “clearly means my
officials are not doing their job”.
“Warders are the ones who ensure the
safety of all, not prisoners. What am I
paying them for if they are not doing
their job? I will take action on this.”
