Prisons bosses are often sex pests

Senior prisons officials are sexually abusing their female colleagues at a worrying rate, according to the director-general of the Department of Correctional Services.

Tom Moyane told parliament's portfolio committee on correctional services that abuse of power in his department, which often took a sexual form, was "prevalent".

The department and the portfolio committee met to discuss progress in the implementation of the recommendations of the Jali Commission, which investigated wide-spread corruption in the department 10 years ago.

Pressed to comment on the claims of sexual abuse raised by Vincent Smith, the ANC MP who chairs the correctional services committee, Moyane said some high-ranking officials in his department took advantage of their juniors by asking them for sexual favours.

"The prevalence of sexual abuse in our institutions is a cause for concern. It does not make us feel good when officials make use of the authority they have to undermine those that report to them."

Moyane said sexual abuse of female staff was part of the culture he had inherited when he took control of the department in 2010.

"It's a culture that we are combating at every level ."

Very few victims of abuse, sexual or otherwise, reported it, he said.

Moyane did not mention how many cases of sexual abuse had been brought to his attention.

But Smith, who also declined to quantify the complaints, said he received phone calls almost every day from female prisons officers complaining that they were being sexually harassed by their bosses.

"The abuse by virtue of rank is one area that we are failing dismally [in combating] and unfortunately the victims seem to be young females," said Smith.

He said he would make surprise visits to prisons to investigate.