Sfx (Prison bars)

KHOPOTSO: Apart from the sexual violence often meted out, many male prisoners often find themselves, for the first time, willingly engaging in sex with other men. But despite prison officials knowing that inmates have sex with one another, the distribution of condoms is, at best, erratic. As a result, sex between inmates is often risky business. This is according to research conducted by the Centre for the Study of Violence and Reconciliation (CSVR). Senior Researcher, Sasha Gear.

SASHA GEAR: Condoms are now supposed to be available to all inmates all of the time’€¦ What is happening in some prisons is that inmates are having to approach a medical officer to ask for condoms. That always used to be the case. However, the policy has been changed’€¦ and condoms are supposed to be available in dispensers throughout the prison. They’€™re certainly not. They’€™re available unevenly for very short times, then they’€™re finished and there are no more’€¦ Condoms were more often not available than available.          

Sfx’€¦ (Men in a prison court-yard)

KHOPOTSO: From Health-e’€™s archives from a visit to Limpopo province’€™s Pietersburg Prison, inmates at the centre expressed concern that condoms were not readily available.

PRISON INMATE: E ne e le dilo tse e leng gore re no feela re di kreya’€¦ So, nako ga ntse e ya ra kreya e le gore ga di sa tlhola di eba teng. Hore na ekaba di felletse kae, ga re tsebe’€¦ Ke sebakanyana. Nka se kgone go o bolella gore ekaba ke how many months, maar e no ba gore ke sebaka se setelle di sa bonahale.

TRANSLATION: He says they used to get condoms, but after a while they stopped being distributed. They don’€™t know the reason for that. He goes on to say that he can’€™t tell how long they’€™ve not been there, but it’€™s been long – a couple of months.

KHOPOTSO: Firmly nailed to the wall along a busy corridor leading to the prison court-yard is an empty condotainer – evidence that once upon a time it was filled up with condoms. Sister Modiba is head of the centre’€™s health services. I asked her why the condotainer has stood empty for months on end.

SISTER MODIBA: Re a e tlatsa, maar ke gore di feela ka speed. Kaspitinyana ga o lo lokela se tse ba di tsere. And maar ga ba dumele gore ba di berekisa jwalo. Ga ntsi re e tlaleletsa ka bo diweekend most of the time ‘€“ weekly.    

TRANSLATION: Sister Modiba differs from what the inmate has said, saying that they do fill it up, but the condoms disappear fast ‘€“ even though the inmates do not admit that they use them. She adds that the condotainer is filled up once a week ‘€“ on weekends.

KHOPOTSO: CSVR Senior Researcher Sasha Gear, says, beyond the erratic supply of condoms in prisons, there is a general lack of activity on HIV prevention.      

SASHA GEAR: For example, you’€™ll find many inmates are using Vaseline as a lubricant when they are using condoms. So, even when they are using condoms, Vaseline damages the condom and that kind of information really, really needs to be in prison. Staff needs to be educated on how they can support inmates’€¦ A lot needs to go about making the resources available for having safe sex, making condoms available, and programmes to work with inmates and staff to give them information about how they can be safe ‘€“ the procedures that are supposed to be there to look after people who are HIV-positive,  making sure they are getting the support that they require’€¦ We have to put in place things to promote healthy living (and) testing.

Sfx’€¦ (Prison bars)

KHOPOTSO: The national rollout of antiretrovirals in prisons is currently a subject of the courts. The AIDS Law Project is suing the government departments of Health and Correctional Services over what it says is ‘€œreneging’€ on an agreement on a national framework for a comprehensive HIV and AIDS plan for correctional services. A court battle scheduled for March 15 this year was averted after the parties began talks aimed at finding an out-of-court settlement. In the meantime, contracting HIV is a real danger for inmates. Many will not be as cautious as this one.  

INMATE: Ke gore mona tulong e re leng mo yona e no ba gore wena ka bowena ke wena o tshwanetseng o tsebe gore mo go na le ntho e bareng ke AIDS. Ha e ka ntle feela, le mo teronkong e teng. So, meika sure ya gore o se ke wa dira ntho tse di tswileng tseleng gore o tle o nne le yona HIV.          

TRANSLATION: This inmate says, you must know that AIDS also exists in prison. So, it’€™s up to you as an inmate not to engage in risky behaviour to ensure that you don’€™t get HIV.