The correctional services department (DCS) has launched a full-scale investigation into a telephonic interview conducted by news channel eNCA with inmate Jermaine Prim at the Johannesburg Correctional Centre, describing the incident as a serious breach of protocol.
The DCS condemned the interview, which was conducted without official approval.
“The DCS strongly condemns the telephonic interview conducted between eNCA and offender Jermaine Prim at the Johannesburg Correctional Centre. A full-scale investigation has been instituted to determine how this incident occurred,” the department said.
The controversy stems from an interview, a clip of which was posted on social media in which eNCA journalist Heidi Giokos interviews Prim telephonically.
During the interview, Prim was asked to explain his relationship with sport, arts and culture minister Gayton McKenzie.
Prim alleged he met McKenzie through an associate, Mario “Ikit” Darzis, about 2012 and reconnected with him in 2020 after the death of Nathaniel Julies.
Julies, a 16-year-old boy with Down syndrome, was shot dead by police in Eldorado Park, Johannesburg, in August 2020 in a case that sparked national outrage and renewed scrutiny of police brutality.
“We made a big noise with the death of Nathaniel Julies because that was close to my heart; my children live a street away from them,” Prim said in the interview.
Prim further claimed that McKenzie later enlisted his help in running a social media campaign for a PA by-election.
“He then asked me if I could please [work] on a social media campaign and get people on the ground to help him win the Riverlea by-election. I ran the social media campaign. I also invested quite a bit in the campaign. As a result, the PA won the by-election,” Prim alleged.
He claimed the relationship later soured over an alleged unpaid debt.
“Gayton owed me quite a bit of money that I had invested in the campaign; this led to a dispute between the two of us.”
In a startling claim, Prim alleged McKenzie facilitated his access to communication while behind bars.
“Yes, Gayton sent in two phones for me at the time,” Prim said when asked if these events took place while he was in prison.
The interview has raised alarm in the DCS, particularly about how Prim was able to communicate externally without authorisation.
“This engagement, conducted without the approval of the national commissioner, represents a clear violation of established standard operating procedures,” the DCS said.
“Media houses are required to formally apply for permission to interview offenders. No such application was received or approved.”
The department added that the “extended and uninterrupted nature of the interview” points to possible failures in internal controls and unauthorised communication channels.
The matter unfolds against the backdrop of allegations aired before a parliamentary ad hoc committee investigating corruption in the criminal justice system.
KwaZulu-Natal police commissioner Lt-Gen Nhlanhla Mkhwanazi was questioned about a letter authored by Prim.
During proceedings, MK Party MP David Skosana claimed Prim possessed a voice recording allegedly linking McKenzie to drug dealers and illicit funds.
Mkhwanazi cautioned that much of the letter relied on second-hand information.
“Almost all the paragraphs are narrating the stories of what he was told; only in paragraph seven is he expressing his own frustration,” Mkhwanazi said.
McKenzie has vehemently denied the allegations, dismissing them as fabricated and politically motivated.
“People who know me know that even in my days of crime, I hated drugs, and I still hate drugs. I just hate it,” McKenzie said during a Facebook live broadcast on the PA page.
PA deputy leader Kenny Kunene also rejected the claims, questioning Prim’s credibility.
“I want to put on record, Gayton McKenzie is not involved in drugs; I am not involved in drugs.”
Kunene further alleged that Prim had long targeted McKenzie and the party, claiming he had access to a cellphone in prison and used it to spread accusations via WhatsApp groups.
Meanwhile, the DCS said its investigation will focus on how the interview was facilitated and whether officials failed to enforce compliance.
“The department remains committed to upholding institutional security and will act decisively against any conduct that undermines the correctional system,” it said.
The DCS also urged media organisations to adhere strictly to regulations governing interviews with inmates, warning that failure to do so could compromise security, legal processes and the rights of victims.
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