Prison life: The daily routine of an inmate at PollsmoorFawaaz Adendorff was incarcerated at Pollsmoor Correctional Centre and participated in the restorative justice programme while in prison.
by Fawaaz Adendorff
27-05-2023 15:37
in Prison Journalism
Prison cell with inmate. Image: Pixabay
Prison life is a world on its own. Being controlled by a prison system with all the strict rules that you must follow as a prison inmate, knowing that your rights have been taken away. Never knowing if it is day or night, always wondering what the time is, and also, on the other side of your mind, you do not even want to know what the date is.
--
ALSO READ: Prison journalism: The feelings I hold for Nelson Mandela
THE CAGES Starting from the reception, which is named the cages , it is where your time starts in prison, which prisoners call a world of its own. So, in the reception, you come in handcuffed and placed in a cage with a board sign that states where you come from. It is also a place where you might find people that do not like you outside. Two wardens will collect you at the cage for fingerprints and to register you into the prison system.
From there, on your way to where you do your fingerprints, you hear different voices in the reception-strange languages and looks. The prison has a different type of smell. It is not a normal smell because, with the combination of the cleaning chemicals and tobacco smells, it is strong and also has an impact on your well-being as a newcomer, feeling nervous and scared, thinking about ways to escape or to make the wardens let you go. At that moment, you feel willing to do anything just to get out.
--
From staying in the cages for a few hours where you did your fingerprints and also meeting with people from your neighborhood and all-around Cape Town, like different types of gangs and backgrounds, it is just so scary and it feels unreal, knowing you're not going home soon and facing the unexpected. From the cages, the wardens open the gates of the cages one by one, calling you by name, surname, and jail number.
ALSO READ: Prison journalism: How to endure the winters of a life sentence
From there, the wardens then ask you to form one straight line on your knees with hands on your head. Once all the names are called out and all the inmates are present, sitting in one straight line, we are asked to stand up and follow the warden to a room where they undergo a body search before entering the courtroom section.
--
It is a building with four big rooms and two small rooms for the warden's office and storeroom. The four big rooms are for the inmates that are split into two different groups. One group is called the ouens [gang members] and the other group is called the fraanse [non-gang members]. The two groups are being identified by the wardens for their prison gang/number and are placed in different rooms because the two groups cannot be together.
Normally, bad things happen to the fraanse in the ouens room, like rape, robbery, abuse and more. After you are placed in a room, the wardens then bring two or more inmates called the gang boys [aisle cleaners and assistants], helping wardens serve food to inmates and keep the prison section clean as part of their job description.
ALSO READ: Prison journalism: Programming in Pennsylvania prisons gave this lifer purpose
THE DAILY ROUTINE In the morning, we wake up at 5:30, go to the bathroom, and clean ourselves. Then, from there, each group has a duty to clean the toilet or the room. The groups get a week to clean, and that is how the duties rotate. When everything is done, the groups then prepare for inspection.
After inspection, it should be 7:00. That is when the wardens and their inmate assistants, which the other inmates call gang boys , are also locked up in similar setups like the normal cells, with a double gate, and a very thick metal door.
So, as the wardens are at the inmates' hostel, only one room at a time is served with the porridge. It depends entirely on the room's behaviour how cold or hot their breakfast is and on the scale of food you will get. So now you must know, sometimes it is impalla pap porridge with one small spoon of brown sugar, served together with tea with no milk and sugar. The same goes when it is matabela porridge. Sometimes the prison serves Jungle Oats, one vienna (sausage), and some days you will get one vienna and two slices of bread. And every Tuesday, two boiled eggs and two slices of bread are also served with tea with no taste.
ALSO READ: Prison stories: A day in the life of a Pollsmoor inmate
For me, there is no favourite food because they use the same spice for all the meals they serve to the inmates. In the juvenile centre section A, the wardens dish out most of the meats for themselves and take them home with them. There are two meals per day: breakfast is served in the morning at 8:00, then locked up again until our next meal. We will be lucky if we get an hour of exercise, depending on the prison vibe and weather.
Our breakfast is sometimes served with boiled eggs and three slices of bread and tea without sugar. Then we wait until 12:00 to get our last meal, which is sometimes chicken, beef. Sometimes white, sometimes spicy yellow. But all the meals that are served are in very small portions like we would get a bone with a piece of meat with little gravy, and it does not taste good.
ALSO READ: Prison Journalism: The power of hope: crimes don't change, but people do
When the inmates are served their food, they must bring their plastic cups and the laptop bucket the food is dished in, and that is the rotation with the four rooms on the hostel. If the dishing is done, the inmates are once again locked up behind thick metal gates and are ordered to eat by their bedside. When the inmates are done eating, they will
Africa Stories
24/12/2024
The National Film and Video Foundation (NFVF) is calling for applications from South African film and television filmmakers to be part of the NFVF's delegat...
06/12/2024
The National Film and Video Foundation (NFVF) is pleased to announce that the cl...
30/11/2024
The National Film and Video Foundation (NFVF) is pleased to announce that the ca...
16/11/2024
The National Film and Video Foundation, an agency of the Department of Sport, Ar...
16/11/2024
The National Film and Video Foundation (NFVF) invites emerging female producers ...
16/11/2024
The National Film and Video Foundation (NFVF) invites current masters students t...
30/10/2024
Johannesburg, 26 October 2024 - The 18th Annual South African Film and Televisio...
30/10/2024
BEST ACHIEVEMENT IN SOUND DOCUMENTARY
!Aitsa
Practitioner: Simon Kohler
Production House: MED CINE
BEST ACHIEVEMENT IN EDITING DOCUMENTARY
Rise: The Si...
24/10/2024
In accordance with Section 6 (2) (c) of the National Film and Video Foundation A...
19/10/2024
The National Film and Video Foundation (NFVF) invites postgraduate students to s...
15/10/2024
The National Film and Video Foundation (herein referred to as NFVF) is a statutory body set up by the government to grow and develop the South African Film and ...
11/10/2024
10 October 2024 Johannesburg, South Africa - The National Film and Video Found...
09/10/2024
Sportel stand number: Ravel Hall G06/07 After a summer filled with intense sport emotions in Paris, France and beyond, Globecast will be happy to welcome you...
04/10/2024
SAFTAs 18 Announces Date and Theme: Honouring Excellence in South African Film and Television with the theme Back to Basics . Johannesburg, South Africa Wedn...
04/10/2024
Johannesburg, South Africa Wednesday, 2 October 2024 The South African Film ...
01/10/2024
Johannesburg, South Africa - Monday, 30 September 2024 - The National Film and Video Foundation (NFVF), an agency of the Department of Sport, Arts and Culture (...
24/09/2024
Every little girl out there who has felt different because they are not what soc...
09/09/2024
The National Film and Video Foundation (herein referred to as NFVF) is a statutory body set up by the government to grow and develop the South African Film and ...
06/09/2024
Johannesburg, 05 September 2024 - The National Film and Video Foundation (NFVF),...
09/08/2024
Johannesburg, 8 August 2024 - It is with profound sadness that the National Film...
01/08/2024
Globecast to Showcase the Broadcast Industry's Most Advanced Connectivity and Hybrid Cloud Solutions at IBC 2024
PARIS, 1 August 2024 Globecast, the lead...
16/07/2024
The National Film and Video Foundation (NFVF), an agency of the Department of Sp...
13/07/2024
The National Film and Video Foundation (NFVF), an agency of the Department of Sp...
09/07/2024
The NFVF, an agency of the Department of Sport, Arts and Culture that is created...
02/07/2024
Arabsat, ASBU and Globecast are commemorating 20 years with a renewed multi-year deal for Global Arabic Bouquet (GAB) services, providing a wide range of DTH di...
11/06/2024
Tuesday 11 June 2024, Johannesburg. The National Film and Video Foundation (NFVF...
31/05/2024
The National Film and Video Foundation (NFVF), the custodians of the South African Film and Television Awards (SAFTAs), has learned of the allegations of ill-tr...
22/05/2024
Judge blocks auction of Elvis Presley's Graceland estateA judge in Tennessee has temporarily halted a foreclosure sale of Graceland, the historic home of El...
22/05/2024
Skeem Saam: Wednesday's episode, 22 May 2024 [video]Missed an episode of Skeem Saam? No problem! Watch the latest episode of your favourite South African so...
22/05/2024
Tonight's Scandal: Jojo draws a line in the sand and Phaka must make a decis...
22/05/2024
Tonight on House of Zwide: A costly request from Adani and Keletso, breaking the...
22/05/2024
Tonight on Smoke and Mirrors: Dikeledi's death at the hands of Mthetho leave...
22/05/2024
Skeem Saam: Tuesday's episode, 21 May 2024 [video]Missed an episode of Skeem Saam? No problem! Watch the latest episode of your favourite South African soap...
22/05/2024
Shaka ILembe': Mzansi Magic denies food poisoning incident, confirms deathMzansi Magic has responded following reports that two Shaka ILembe' season tw...
22/05/2024
Bridgerton's third season sizzles with record-breaking viewership Bridgerton' Season 3 Part 1 shattered records with a staggering 45.1 million views wit...
22/05/2024
Tonight on Skeem Saam: The Maputlas find out about Ntswaki's liesDon't miss Wednesday, 22 May's riveting episode of South African soapie Skeem Saam ...
21/05/2024
WATCH: Tonight's Scandal teaser - 21 May 2024Don't miss Tuesday, 21 May's riveting episode of South African soapie Scandal! on e.tv on DStv channel ...
21/05/2024
Tonight on Skeem Saam: Sthoko and Babeile's reunion puzzles and shatters the...
21/05/2024
Tonight on House of Zwide: Soka is forced to lie after Mampho catches him prepar...
21/05/2024
Skeem Saam: Monday's episode, 20 May 2024 [video]Missed an episode of Skeem Saam? No problem! Watch the latest episode of your favourite South African soapi...
21/05/2024
Popular children's TV shows you may have forgottenSouth African television channels have entertained us over the years. Here is looking back at some popular...
21/05/2024
Actor Dumisani Dlamini discusses his role in Isitha: The Enemy'Legendary actor Dumisani Dlamini has landed the character of Nsimbi in e.tv's popular te...
21/05/2024
Tonight on Smoke and Mirrors: General's romantic gesture to Lulu meets with ...
20/05/2024
Tonight on Skeem Saam: Ntswaki sneaks Toby into the house but sadly for her, Lee...
20/05/2024
Tonight on House of Zwide: Soka decides to explore things with Ona while still s...
20/05/2024
Tonight on Smoke and Mirrors: Jaxon and Caesar fail in their attempt to corrupt ...
20/05/2024
Tonight on Scandal: Dintle's work life suffers as she struggles to hold it a...
20/05/2024
RIP: Two deaths' on Shaka ILembe' productionTwo people, who are part of the Shaka Ilembe' production set to return for a second season, have repo...
20/05/2024
Gangsterism in movies and television: Wees geskool'Gangsterism has been portrayed in movies and television: but have you ever seen these films and televisi...
Prison life: The daily routine of an inmate at PollsmoorFawaaz Adendorff was incarcerated at Pollsmoor Correctional Centre and participated in the restorative justice programme while in prison.
