Durban - Prison warders at Qalakabusha Prison, near Empangeni, are in hot water after they were caught trying to get into the prison carrying dagga.
The warders were caught during a search operation at the prison about two weeks ago.
Department spokesperson Thulani Mdluli said on Wednesday the warders have been suspended pending an internal investigation.
“Both are male officials and employed at Qalakabusha Correctional Centre,” said Mdluli, adding they were caught on June 21 in the morning while registering for duty at the access gate.
“They were caught during a sting search (a random search focused on officials) by the head of the centre and were carrying about 230g of dagga,” he said.
Mdluli said the search was linked to Operation Back to Basics campaign, aimed at strengthening security and safety in correctional centres.
He was unable to say whether the warders were smuggling the dagga in for inmates or for their own use and said they are waiting on both the court’s and their internal investigation outcomes.