He also allegedly threatened to have the inmate transferred to another prison, with the support of KwaZulu-Natal regional commissioner Mnikelwa Nxele.
Philani Ndlovu made the allegations in a letter to Correctional Services head Zach Modise on behalf of his brother, Thembinkosi, who is serving a life sentence for murder.
Department spokesman Logan Maistry said Modise was aware of the allegations and they were viewed "in a serious light". He said the matter had been referred to Durban Westville commissioner Lawrence Zikhali for an investigation.
In the letter, Ndlovu claimed that his brother was referred to Lucky Mpungose, who was facilitating the victim offender dialogue programme. After consultations, the victim's family had no problem with Thembinkosi being released.
"But things started to turn sour when Mpungose started to phone my brother's daughter demanding airtime and Telkom world call vouchers. We gave him those things. Then he demanded a laptop and money, saying he would fast track his release."
Nxele said: "Let's allow Modise [the director-general] to handle the matter. I have no knowledge of the prisoner and the matters raised."
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