-Staff Writer / Sun, 29 March 2026
The Department of Correctional Services(DCS) has slammed what it terms as irregular telephonic interview between an inmate and TV news channel eNCA. The Department said rules were broken and an investigation is now underway.
The interview involved offender Jermaine Prim at the Johannesburg Correctional Centre, and officials say it happened without permission from the National Commissioner.
During the interview with eNCA inmate Jermaine Prim made damning allegations against Patriotic Alliance (PA) President Gayton Mckenzie. He said Mckenzie is involved the sale of drugs in South Africa amongst other.
Departmental spokesperson Singabakho Nxumalo said media houses must apply for permission before interviewing offenders to protect security, legal processes and victims’ rights. However, Nxumalo said no application was received or approved for this interview.
Nxumalo also raised concerns about how the interview was conducted, especially because it was long and uninterrupted. Authorities are now investigating whether internal controls were breached and if unauthorised communication channels were used to arrange the interview.
“The department remains committed to institutional security and will act decisively against any conduct that undermines the correctional system,” he said
He warned media institutions to follow proper procedures when engaging with offenders, saying the rules are there to ensure safety and legal compliance.
The investigation will now focus on how the communication was arranged and whether any officials or systems were bypassed to make the interview possible.
The incident has raised serious questions about security controls inside correctional facilities and how an inmate was able to speak to the media without official approval.
News Junction (Gold Standard)