
Prison life: The daily routine of an inmateFawaaz Adendorff was incarcerated at Pollsmoor Correctional Centre and participated in the restorative justice programme while in prison.
by Fawaaz Adendorff
25-05-2023 18:36
in Prison Journalism
Prison cell with inmate. Image: Pixabay
Prison life is a world on its own. Being controlled by a prison system with all the strict rules that you must follow as a prison inmate, knowing that your rights have been taken away. Never knowing if it is day or night, always wondering what the time is, and also, on the other side of your mind, you do not even want to know what the date is.
--
ALSO READ: Prison journalism: The feelings I hold for Nelson Mandela
THE CAGES Starting from the reception, which is named the cages , it is where your time starts in prison, which prisoners call a world of its own. So, in the reception, you come in handcuffed and placed in a cage with a board sign that states where you come from. It is also a place where you might find people that do not like you outside. Two wardens will collect you at the cage for fingerprints and to register you into the prison system.
From there, on your way to where you do your fingerprints, you hear different voices in the reception-strange languages and looks. The prison has a different type of smell. It is not a normal smell because, with the combination of the cleaning chemicals and tobacco smells, it is strong and also has an impact on your well-being as a newcomer, feeling nervous and scared, thinking about ways to escape or to make the wardens let you go. At that moment, you feel willing to do anything just to get out.
--
From staying in the cages for a few hours where you did your fingerprints and also meeting with people from your neighborhood and all-around Cape Town, like different types of gangs and backgrounds, it is just so scary and it feels unreal, knowing you're not going home soon and facing the unexpected. From the cages, the wardens open the gates of the cages one by one, calling you by name, surname, and jail number.
ALSO READ: Prison journalism: How to endure the winters of a life sentence
From there, the wardens then ask you to form one straight line on your knees with hands on your head. Once all the names are called out and all the inmates are present, sitting in one straight line, we are asked to stand up and follow the warden to a room where they undergo a body search before entering the courtroom section.
--
It is a building with four big rooms and two small rooms for the warden's office and storeroom. The four big rooms are for the inmates that are split into two different groups. One group is called the ouens [gang members] and the other group is called the fraanse [non-gang members]. The two groups are being identified by the wardens for their prison gang/number and are placed in different rooms because the two groups cannot be together.
Normally, bad things happen to the fraanse in the ouens room, like rape, robbery, abuse and more. After you are placed in a room, the wardens then bring two or more inmates called the gang boys [aisle cleaners and assistants], helping wardens serve food to inmates and keep the prison section clean as part of their job description.
ALSO READ: Prison journalism: Programming in Pennsylvania prisons gave this lifer purpose
THE DAILY ROUTINE In the morning, we wake up at 5:30, go to the bathroom, and clean ourselves. Then, from there, each group has a duty to clean the toilet or the room. The groups get a week to clean, and that is how the duties rotate. When everything is done, the groups then prepare for inspection.
After inspection, it should be 7:00. That is when the wardens and their inmate assistants, which the other inmates call gang boys , are also locked up in similar setups like the normal cells, with a double gate, and a very thick metal door.
So, as the wardens are at the inmates' hostel, only one room at a time is served with the porridge. It depends entirely on the room's behaviour how cold or hot their breakfast is and on the scale of food you will get. So now you must know, sometimes it is impalla pap porridge with one small spoon of brown sugar, served together with tea with no milk and sugar. The same goes when it is matabela porridge. Sometimes the prison serves Jungle Oats, one vienna (sausage), and some days you will get one vienna and two slices of bread. And every Tuesday, two boiled eggs and two slices of bread are also served with tea with no taste.
ALSO READ: Prison stories: A day in the life of a Pollsmoor inmate
For me, there is no favourite food because they use the same spice for all the meals they serve to the inmates. In the juvenile centre section A, the wardens dish out most of the meats for themselves and take them home with them. There are two meals per day: breakfast is served in the morning at 8:00, then locked up again until our next meal. We will be lucky if we get an hour of exercise, depending on the prison vibe and weather.
Our breakfast is sometimes served with boiled eggs and three slices of bread and tea without sugar. Then we wait until 12:00 to get our last meal, which is sometimes chicken, beef. Sometimes white, sometimes spicy yellow. But all the meals that are served are in very small portions like we would get a bone with a piece of meat with little gravy, and it does not taste good.
ALSO READ: Prison Journalism: The power of hope: crimes don't change, but people do
When the inmates are served their food, they must bring their plastic cups and the laptop bucket the food is dished in, and that is the rotation with the four rooms on the hostel. If the dishing is done, the inmates are once again locked up behind thick metal gates and are ordered to eat by their bedside. When the inmates are done eating, they will get exercise
Most recent headlines
05/01/2027
Worlds first 802.15.4ab-UWB chip verified by Calterah and Rohde & Schwarz to be ...
07/10/2026
Dalet, a leading technology and service provider for media-rich organizations, today announced the latest Long-Term Supported (LTS) release of Dalet Flex. Build...
06/09/2026
June 9 2026, 23:00 (PDT) Dolby and MagentaTV Bring Fans Closer to the FIFA Worl...
26/08/2026
Applicants interested in the Media Innovation Europe 3.0 Validation Booster call can now consult a new FAQ document addressing practical questions raised during...
26/08/2026
Roku Sports Channel will stream eight matches free beginning Aug. 30 as league shifts Sunday-night games away from Victory+...
26/08/2026
Evertz and Mobile TV Group detail how on-premises infrastructure and cloud resou...
26/08/2026
The Sennheiser Group will demonstrate its broadcast audio portfolio at IBC2026 (Hall 8, Booth D50), covering wireless microphone workflows, studio monitoring, a...
26/08/2026
Appear and Transmisiones Televisivas TVTEL Limitada have announced the deploymen...
26/08/2026
Leader Electronics has announced that Danish broadcast rental company Minitech has purchased a Leader LPX500 hybrid IP/SDI waveform monitor and LT4670 sync puls...
26/08/2026
Encompass will demonstrate its Altitude media services at IBC2026 (IAMT Hub, Diamond Lounge, Hall 3, RAI Amsterdam, September 11-14).
Key products on show incl...
26/08/2026
Daktronics has partnered with Massillon Washington High School in Ohio to install a new LED video display and implement the Daktronics Camino show control platf...
26/08/2026
Clear-Com has appointed Dubai-based Venuetech LLC as its main partner for the Middle East. Venuetech distributes professional audiovisual solutions across the r...
26/08/2026
NBC Sports NOW, NBC Sports' free 24/7 streaming channel, will launch a new weekday lineup beginning Monday, August 31, including two new shows.
Not So Fast...
26/08/2026
Calrec will demonstrate updates to its ImPulseV DSP software and Argo ecosystem at IBC2026 (Stand 8.C47), including previews aligned with the EBU's Dynamic ...
26/08/2026
Imagine Communications will demonstrate AI applications across its ad tech and video infrastructure portfolios at IBC2026 (Stand 1.B73, RAI Amsterdam, September...
26/08/2026
Dalet will demonstrate updates to Dalet Flex, Dalet Pyramid, and Dalia, its agentic AI platform, at IBC2026 (Hall 7, Stand 7.A43). The company will also partici...
26/08/2026
Team-owned platform will stream every locally carried Predators game beginning t...
26/08/2026
The 12-day tournament receives the broadcaster's full onsite-studio presence...
26/08/2026
A synth with no controls?
If you're into weird and wonderful instruments, then you may already be familiar with Warsaw-based SOMA Laboratory - if you...
26/08/2026
Physical modelling orchestral instrument announced
Following their recent cryptic hints, Dreamtonics have officially revealed the latest addition to their s...
26/08/2026
Discussions at the Meitingen site on competitiveness, energy supply, and fuel cell technology
Bertram Brossardt, CEO of the Bavarian metal and electrical emplo...
26/08/2026
Rohde & Schwarz USA celebrates grand opening of new manufacturing center in Fred...
26/08/2026
For large media companies, the content archive is a gold mine. There are thousands of hours of existing, high-value assets just waiting to be tapped for highlig...
26/08/2026
Ad Supported Viewing Represents 71.5% of TV in Q2
Streaming Captures Over 48% o...
26/08/2026
Charity sector ad spend reached $278 million as 44% of Australians donated to ch...
26/08/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
26/08/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
26/08/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
26/08/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
26/08/2026
MediaKind today announced that CNBC UK has selected Beam to modernize its contribution and distribution infrastructure, bringing greater flexibility, resilience...
26/08/2026
Telestream, a global leader in media workflow technologies, today announced the next evolution of Telestream UP, expanding the cloud-native platform introduced ...
26/08/2026
SMPTE, the home for media professionals, technologists and engineers, today announced its 2026 Honorees, recognizing individuals and organizations whose contrib...
26/08/2026
New solution bridges connected TV (CTV) and ecommerce to make shoppable performance advertising easier to scale for streaming platforms and broadcasters
Broadp...
26/08/2026
LA JOLLA, CA-Recent advances in robotics, automation and artificial intelligence...
26/08/2026
How WeFX Made From's' Monsters Feel Uncomfortably Real
Brie Clayton August 26, 2026
0 Comments
From eight-foot dolls and feathered birds to R...
26/08/2026
Eleanor Roosevelt High School Elevates Student Rallies with Blackmagic Design
Brie Clayton August 26, 2026
0 Comments
Student led production team uses...
26/08/2026
K-Frame and Maverik X innovations extend familiar production control into AMPP, alongside new replay, audio, commentary and communications capabilities.
At IBC...
26/08/2026
New products continue to enable any signal, anywhere for creators...
26/08/2026
Dalet, a leading technology and service provider for media-rich organizations, today announced a new integrated newsroom experience with Agence France-Presse (A...
26/08/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
26/08/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
26/08/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
26/08/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
26/08/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
26/08/2026
PTZ Camera Manufacturer and FPGA Design Specialist Join Alliance to Advance IPMX and Open AV-over-IP Standards
The Alliance for IP Media Solutions (AIMS) today...
26/08/2026
BATON offers ZOO Digital advanced audio and video quality analysis, and scalable architecture
Interra Systems, a leading provider of end-to-end quality assuran...
26/08/2026
Riedel Communications today announced the continued expansion of its managed coach communications partnership with Scottish Rugby Union. Now entering its third ...
26/08/2026
Zixi brings Broadcaster V19 and showcases interoperable platform on Stand 5.A76
Zixi, a leader in live video delivery and workflow orchestration, will be exhib...
26/08/2026
LA JOLLA, CA-Jeffery Kelly, the H. Lutcher Brown Professor of Chemistry at Scrip...
26/08/2026
Indie Developer Launches Orty, aWindows App That Helps Freelance VideoEditors Fi...