JOHANNESBURG - South African prisons have a role to play in rehabilitation and maintaining public safety amid high crime levels.
But there is growing debate over whether they are actually disrupting organised crime or simply relocating its leadership behind bars.
Correctional Services Minister Pieter Groenewald painted a grim picture.
"I do not deny the fact that we have a huge problem of gangs in our prisons, but if we are truthful, we must say communities must also pay their part."
His comments come after Parliament heard that prisons are becoming breeding grounds for gangs.
That was the warning from KZN police commissioner Nhlanhla Mkhwanazi, who is leading a task team addressing organised crime.
READ | Breeding ground is prison: Mkhwanazi sounds alarm on gangs behind bars
Mkhwanazi told MPs that some inmates learn new tricks in prison and enter gangs instead of being rehabilitated.
Groenewald said several gang members have never been in prison, which also points to poor communities being used as breeding grounds where they then begin to recruit individuals.
Some of these individuals have access to prisoners, with Groenewald admitting that gang leaders continue directing criminal activity from prison, particularly through illegally obtained cellphones.
He said the department is fighting back with intensified raids in prisons, resulting in 37 500 cell phones and other contraband confiscated in the previous financial year.
"Organised crime outside prisons is the bigger problem. They use prisoners because it's a nice smokescreen...We're now busy with the process where not even wardens are allowed to go into prison facilities with a cell phone. People say we must get signal jammers; that's expensive.
"I'm not in denial; there is no use in blame-shifting- my side or the community; it's all of us who must get rid of this evil of gangsterism."