Along the R102 you will find a well known correction facility.This specific prison is widely regarded as one of the five most notorious prisons in South Africa and home to almost 3 300 inmates. You don't end up in here without having been regarded as a dangerous and violent offender!
The prison was originally built in 1971 and it was initially meant to be a low security prison. However the need to accommodate more hardened criminals became apparent and thus the maximum security section was added. Over time the prison grew to the expansive facility it is today.
The prison is divided into 3 sections:
- The trail awaiting section has room for almost 1600 people.
- The Maximum facility houses approximately 1900 inmates, all convicted of serious crimes.
- The Medium facility is home to about 1400 inmates. These offenders were found guilty of less serious crimes and are thus serving sentences less than 10 years. They are the ones that are allowed to leave their cells to work on the many projects run by the prison.
Many of us don't know that:
There is a big bakery and they bake all their own bread.
Agriculture, livestock farming and planting of crops provide most of the produce used in the kitchen to feed the inmates.
They have a chicken farm where the day old chicks they buy are raised and slaughtered for consumption and they also supply the surrounding prisons in Port Elizabeth, Patensie and Kirkwood of meat.
There is a modern woodworking workshop where inmates receive training. They also do steel work and all the furniture used inside the facility is made here.
The tailoring faclilty is responsible for sewing all the linen as well as the orange overalls that the inmates wear.
As little as possible is sourced from outside which means the facility is almost entirely self sufficient.
This cache has been placed near the prison. Please practice stealth and try to attract as little attention as possible.
It is advisable to park your car well off the road and to watch out for passing traffic. Please take care to be safe and avoid doing this cache alone or at night. Kindly return the cache exactly as found to make sure it doesn't escape from its hiding place.