How a leaked sex tape of female guard and inmate in South African prison has shaken country's justice system
A sex tape of a South African prison guard and an inmate has now gone viral after it was illegally uploaded on a popular porn website. The prisoner and the guard are from Ncome Correctional Centre, and their actions have gained international attention in the most tawdry manner.
The video going public has forced the country's Correctional Services Department to release a statement addressing the situation. The department said it was 'embarrassed and gutted' by the actions of the guard and the prisoner, who will now face severe disciplinary action. The statement said the department will stamp-out such liaisons in the future.
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In the statement, the DCS said, "A video with flustering scenes of alleged sexual activity between an official and an inmate at the Ncome Correctional Centre, KwaZulu-Natal, has left the Department of Correctional Services (DCS) appalled, embarrassed, and gutted. Those in possession of the explicit video must not disseminate it.”
They also said that the prison guard in question has been identified and will be punished. The statement read, “The official involved has been identified and she will be subjected to a disciplinary process with immediate effect. Disciplinary measures have also been instituted against the inmate."
However, efforts by officials to keep a lid on the embarrassing incident has failed. The sex-tape was uploaded on popular pornography sites, and which led to the hashtag #prisoner trending all day on Twitter on Wednesday. Not only is the incident embarrassing for the country, but uploading the video onto the Internet is reportedly illegal.
The news of the incident was first shared on Twitter by Yusuf Abramjee, who also slammed the prison guard, quoting the statement from the DCS. In the statement, the DCS also requested the public to refrain from sharing the video on the Internet in order to avoid further embarrassment for the department.
WARNING: The following video contains graphic content that might be disturbing to some readers.
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— Master_of_Puppets🗨 (@Gabadeli_) March 16, 2021
Part 1 pic.twitter.com/ikSs1pIBYM
However, sharing of this video is illegal as a new law in South Africa states that knowingly distributing private photographs or films that are sexual in nature without the permission of the individuals featured in the pictures and videos will be considered ‘revenge porn’.
This is a punishable offense and that brings us to the next question: would the judiciary punish those who shared the video unlawfully, considering how the video has outed an unlawful act within the country's prison?
The ones to be punished will not only be the first uploader, but those who reshare the same on the Internet; punishment is said to be extremely strict. The basic offences come with a maximum jail sentence of two years, and a fine up to R150, 000 (around $10,000). In addition to this, if one posts revenge porn that also identifies the victim, both the prison time and the financial penalty gets doubled.