Deputy Minister of Correctional Services Patekile Holomisa says it is important that prisoners’ rights to vote be upheld. Holomisa was speaking at the Kgosi Mampuro Correctional Services facility in Pretoria during the voter registration of prisoners.
The drive to register inmates, a collaboration between the Departments of Correctional Services and the Electoral Commission, entered its second day today and will end on Thursday with the aim of covering all of the country’s 200 prisons.
Holomisa says the Constitution of South Africa guarantees the political rights of prisoners and these are also protected under international law.
“We are a member of the United Nations organisation and one of its declarations is what is called the Nelson Mandela rules that dictate that prisoners must be treated with dignity. But they are also encouraging signatories to those rules to allow people to vote, the truth of the matter is that the great majority of nations do not give this right, a few in the world are giving this right to prisoners
Source: SABC
In other news – DJ Vettys fights for his life in hospital after being shot
DJ Vettys, born Seunkie Mokubung has been hospitalised after being shot on Monday in Pretoria West. The DJ who is a friend of the late DJ Sumbody was reportedly on his way to a gig when the hideous event occurred.
He survived but is in a critical condition and is currently receiving treatment at an undisclosed hospital,” reads the statement. Read more
