Cape Town Mayor Geordin Hill-Lewis has welcomed public debate around new technologies to curb organised crime originating from behind bars. Responding to the South African Prisoner Organisation for Human Rights, the Mayor said the City’s proposal to pilot signal-blocking and targeted communication interception at Pollsmoor Prison is about protecting law-abiding citizens, not silencing prisoners’ rights.
“These measures would close the loopholes that allow gang bosses and syndicates to direct criminal activity from prison cells,” Hill-Lewis explained. “Our communities — especially young people — deserve to be safe from violence and extortion orchestrated by those already serving time.”
The pilot aims to work with national correctional services and independent oversight bodies to ensure constitutional safeguards while stopping illicit calls, WhatsApp messages and other digital channels used to co-ordinate crimes. If successful, it could become a model for prisons across South Africa — improving public safety, restoring trust in the justice system and giving inmates a greater chance to focus on rehabilitation instead of criminal enterprises.
By proactively addressing the link between prisons and community crime, the City hopes to reduce violence, protect victims and help create the conditions for genuine reintegration when offenders are released.
