*Pistorius may be held in same high security wing at Pretoria Central Prison
*It has just six cells and is guarded by a special task force
A high security cell has been prepared for Oscar Pistorius alongside a notorious Czech prisoner on trial for torture, according to reports. The 27-year-old convicted killer will learn his fate tomorrow when he is sentenced for the Valentine’s Day shooting of his girlfriend. At last week’s sentencing hearing, Pistorius’ legal team called for the paralympian to be spared jail and placed under house arrest citing fears for his safety from violence and disease.
Krejcir is currently on trial at the High Court in Johannesburg for alleged kidnapping and torture, but is being held in Pretoria as he is considered a high security risk prisoner. Pretoria Central Prison was the execution site of dozens of black political activists by South Africa's white-only apartheid government, which ended with the election of Nelson Mandela in 1994. It is now the home of apartheid death squad leader Eugene de Kock, known as 'Prime Evil', and is known for a vicious gang culture.
The correctional services department on Monday denied that it was making arrangements in advance of Pistorius’ sentencing tomorrow.
Lock up: Pretoria Central Prison was the execution site of dozens of black political activists by South Africa's white-only apartheid government. Now it is home to the apartheid death squad leader Eugene de Kock
Gerrie Nel, who prosecuted Pistorius for the murder of 29 year old Miss Steenkamp, told Judge Thokozile Masipa that the idea of the athlete serving his sentence at home under 'correctional supervision' with an order to carry out community service, was 'shocking inappropriate' for the severity of the crime he had committed. He said the double amputee’s disability should not be taken into consideration when he is sentenced and called for a minimum of ten years behind bars.
The trial of Krejcir is one of the most high profile and high security South Africa has ever seen.The fugitive arrived in South Africa on a fake passport and since then a number of his business rivals and associates have died in mysterious circumstances, including German super car conversion specialist Uwe Gemballa and the owner of a string of strip clubs, ‘Lolly’ Jackson.
Requests for special arrangements came after Pistorius's legal team told the court their client faces threats from a ruthless prison gang leader if he is given preferential treatment in jail. Khalil Subjee - known as The General - said he would order 'a hit' on the double-amputee if his fame and wealth bought him an easy time behind bars.
Defence counsel Barry Roux quoted from a newspaper interview with the gang leader, who openly threatened to have Pistorius killed if he is gets extra care and privileges. With prison authorities under acute pressure to guarantee the fallen track star’s safety, a meeting of senior correctional services officials met on Friday to draw up plans to keep him safe.
Pistorius talks to his lawyer Barry Roux on day four of his sentencing hearing at the High Court in Pretoria
Emotional: The athlete's sister, Aimee, wipes tears from her eyes next to her aunt Lois while listening to testimony from Miss Steenkamp's cousin, Kim Martin, during the sentencing hearing
If sentenced to prison, it was thought the paralympian would be been sent to Kgosi Mumpuru prison in Pretoria, where feared gangs are notorious for turning new inmates into sex slaves in exchange for protection.
Mr Roux said Subjee, the head of the feared 26s gang who claims to control all of South Africa's inland jails, made his threats in an interview from a prison phone box.
Subjee said: 'If he thinks he is going to come here and buy his way to get computers and cellphones and a lavish lifestyle, he must know that will never happen for as long as I am around.'
The criminal kingpin, who has been in and out of prison for the past 33 years, admitted he had organized similar retribution on other prisoners who had received special care, including the killer of Chris Hani - a hero of the anti-apartheid struggle. The revelations came after Miss Steenkamp's cousin made a dramatic appeal for Pistorius to be sent to prison, telling the court that he 'needs to pay for what he's done' to her family and his own.
GANGS ARE SO ENTRENCHED IN SOUTH AFRICA'S PRISON SYSTEM THEY HAVE THEIR OWN HIERARCHY AND EVEN A UNION
Prison life in South Africa is characterized by an elaborate system of gangs, through which much prisoner-on-prisoner violence is mediated. While gang activity is common to many prison systems, South African prison gangs are distinctive. Most importantly, they have a national organization. As such, a gang member who is transferred from one prison to another, or even released and re-imprisoned, will keep his membership and gang rank in the new prison.
Stark conditions: Prisoners are lined up inside the Kgosi Mumpuru 11 Management Centre during a surprise raid by prison officials checking for drugs and other contraband. The jail is the most likely one that Oscar Pistorius will be sent to if he is given a prison term for killing his girlfriend Reeva Steenkamp
The gangs have a history that predates the formation of the South African prisons department. They are not spontaneous creations in each prison, with an improvised system of membership and command. Instead, they have an elaborate structure, ranking and disciplinary code that mimics the militaristic structures of the South African apartheid system in general and the prison administration in particular.
The three predominant gangs operating in South Africa's prisons today are the 28s, 27s and 26s, known collectively as the 'number gangs'. The 'number gangs' trace their origins, by an elaborate oral history, to the late 19th century, when gangs were formed in the all-male compounds occupied by migrant laborers working in the mines on the Witwatersrand, near Johannesburg.
Grim: The athlete's lawyer has argued that there will be a risk from prison gangs if he is sent to jail
A report by Human Rights Watch found that promotion is gained by carrying out acts of violence on non gang members or rivals. The 28s are said to be the most feared, operating an organized system of 'wyfies' - or sexual partners.
The 26s are known for skill at obtaining contraband items, while the 27s enforce the codes of the other two groups.
Inmates who are not associated with a gang complain of having to 'buy' back their own bunk from gang members and have other possessions confiscated. And any attempts to disrupt the structure of gangs often leads to warfare within the gang and with rivals.
Most worryingly, warders often turn a blind eye to gang activities and in some cases, actively collaborate with them. I can't imagine a more dangerous environment for Pistorius to be placed in and am positive he will not be integrated into the general prison population. If he got killed right away in prison, he would be getting off too easy. I think the judge will be quite lenient in spite of public censure for her handling of this case.
PIC ,
ReplyDeleteRadovan will not be able to get to Pistorius , that little S.O.B. will be so well protected.
Maybe the little bastard will hang himself as Ariel Castro did ... I do think Ariel had help .
The time they gave Pistorius is a joke .
Good post .
Luv PIC
I agree PIC, It is a joke, but it is exactly what we all expected.
ReplyDeleteSomeone may get to Oscar in spite of all the security and give him a helping hand to eternity. I hope at least he gets sodomized in the shower one time.
Luv
Mean nasty Genie