Cape Town - Parliament's Portfolio Committee on Correctional Services has indicated plans to speed up the processing of the long-awaited Criminalisation of Torture Bill of 2003.
The committee, which is grappling to reduce incidents of torture, is also strongly pushing for Closed Circuit Televisions (CCTVs) to be installed in prison cells to monitor violence.
On Wednesday, the SA Human Rights Commission (SAHRC), Association for the Prevention of Torture (APT), Civil Society Prison Reform Initiative (CSPRI) and the Institute for Security Studies (ISS) made presentations to the committee on the issue of torture in prisons.
SAHRC called for the criminalisation of torture and the punishment of perpetrators.
It underlined that incidents of torture in prisons were not confined to South Africa alone, but happened in every country across the globe.
Currently South Africa does not have its own definition of torture. In the meeting today, questions were asked around the connection between torture, rape and abuse and overcrowding.
Among the committee's concerns was that the Department of Correctional Services' annual report revealed that they spent close to R1 billion in claims to victims of torture.
Another worry was that torture in prisons was being underreported and that some of the victims were too afraid to speak out.
Committee chairperson Vincent Smith said they would push to have CCTVs installed in cells to reduce incidents of torture.
He said the prevention of torture "should supersede one's right to privacy in the cell. We strongly believe we should move towards that direction."
While this could be challenged, SAHRC's Judith Cohen said the move should be encouraged, adding that other parties such as State law advisors and academics would have to be involved.
APT's Amanda Dissel said CCTVs would not work because some prisons were too dark and the camera would not record anything.
CSPRI coordinator Lukas Muntingh concurred with Dissel, saying there was no evidence to show that cameras would prevent prison violence. Instead, he said a broad range of solutions should be investigated.
Guy Lamb from the ISS said the use of electrical shocks and leg irons should be banned as that constituted torture. He believes alternatives do exist.
However, MPs questioned if such solutions were practical in South Africa where incidents of prison escapes were high.
"What do you propose to replace this with?" asked DA's Lennit Max.
His colleague James Selfe also asked if there were other decent methods that could be used instead.
The department as well as the Judicial Inspectorate for Correctional Services is set to be invited to Parliament soon to discuss the matter.
