Pretoria - Correctional Services Minister Nosiviwe Mapisa-Nqakula says investigations are underway into the recent conduct of inmates at a correctional service centre in Kimberley.
Police had to be called in after inmates at New Generation Correctional Centre in Kimberly went on a rampage and took officials hostage two weeks ago.
They accused management at the centre of not paying attention to their grievances which included, among others, the issue of transfers and medical assistance.
Mapisa-Nqakula told Parliament on Thursday that the investigation would cover all suspected causes for these incidents, including possible incitement and collusion by some officials.
"Frankly speaking, we continue to be faced with serious levels of ill discipline amongst some of our officials leading to collusion with offenders in the destabilisation of the centres. During the past few months we have shown decisiveness in dealing with cases of ill discipline and flagrant disregard for protocols and procedures," she said.
The department has also dispatched a team from head office to handle the transfer of more experienced officials from other centres to the Kimberly centre as most of the officials are still new and directly from training.
On the prisoners' grievances, Mapisa-Nqakula said it would not be possible for her department to consider a number of applications for transfer based on the reasons that an offender is far away from their home and family.
"If we were to do this, then this will make it difficult for us to manage overcrowding in our centres," she said.
This was not to suggest that the department does not apply a policy of transfers. Such applications are considered on their merit, but officials were weary of a situation where the only reason given is that of distance from an offender's family.
The minister said she had already directed the department to make arrangements to assist families to visit offenders either on a monthly or quarterly basis depending on the availability of funds. "After my visit, I directed that in the meantime, telephone booths should be installed in all units of the centre. This was done, although they have now been damaged, at least in the unit where the rioting took place."
She said New Generation was a new centre and operations there were being implemented through a phased-in approach.
At least nine nursing and 15 clinical posts were already advertised and are in the process of being finalised.
Currently the facility has occupancy of 2 543, and its full capacity is supposed to be 3 000. Most of the offenders have been transferred from other regions to alleviate overcrowding.
