KEY POINTS
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The inmate death at Cape Town prison sparked nationwide outrage.
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Four correctional officers have been suspended pending investigations.
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Overcrowding and mismanagement worsened the prison security crisis.
Four correctional guards have been suspended in connection with the killing of a prisoner at Cape Town’s Goodwood Correctional Centre.
National response aims to reform jail operations
In light of the incident and continuing operational difficulties, National Correctional Services Commissioner Makgothi Thobakgale stated that an immediate evaluation of jail administration is necessary.
The suspensions come after Quinton Fortuin died in February after allegedly being attacked after he used a sharp instrument to harm a jail officer.
According to daily maverick, Fortuin’s injuries sparked grave worries and highlighted oversight and jail administration shortcomings that necessitate immediate action.
He said that the facility’s overcrowding, which was operating at 150 percent capacity, posed serious threats to the inmate population as well as staff.
The commissioner said that a prison designed for 1,651 people today houses 718 sentenced inmates and 1,762 remand detainees.
With only 302 staffers, the institution has grown above its original capacity, posing security risks and increasing the likelihood of violent occurrences.
Following increased media attention to Fortuin’s passing, Thobakgale made the announcement at a press conference on May 1, 2025.
He said that before being detained by support staff, Fortuin had struck an officer with a sharpened item, breaking the officer’s arm.
The reports stated that force was used during the response to subdue and confine Fortuin, and another officer was also hurt.
Thobakgale claims that the incident happened on February 15 at approximately 8:10 a.m. during the prison’s regular morning unlock procedure.
Fortuin waited in his cell at first, only coming out when summoned, and then he took his place at the rear of the line.
Fortuin was subdued and transported to Karl Bremer Hospital after fighting officers; he was declared dead just after noon.
Fortuin died from various blunt force injuries he received during the altercation within the detention facility, according to a post-mortem.
Investigations follow inmate death at Cape Town prison
According to Thobakgale, he promptly asked for a thorough inquiry, which included an independent assessment by a national investigative team that was established on March 11.
The commissioner upheld Lamla Shumane and Xolani Matshoba’s suspensions after that team’s conclusions were submitted on April 29.
Additionally, he verified that a total of four cops had already been suspended for the same incident: Qhama Kweleta and Thembisa Mninzi.
Despite the fact that no one has been arrested yet, police in the Western Cape are looking into Fortuin’s death as a murder.
