Cape Town mayor calls for cellphone signal-blocking at Pollsmoor Prison
Cape Town Mayor Geordin Hill-Lewis has urged the piloting of cellphone signal-blocking technology at Pollsmoor Prison, warning that inmates are using mobile phones to run criminal networks from behind bars.
In a letter to Correctional Services Minister Pieter Groenewald, Hill-Lewis highlighted incidents where prisoners coordinated extortion and other crimes, including threats that forced contractors to abandon projects. “We must do more than just jail criminals; we have to prevent their ability to coordinate crime from within prisons,” he said.
The Mayor offered the City’s full support for a pilot, including intelligence-sharing and logistical assistance for installing the technology. Minister Groenewald has committed to intensifying raids against illicit cellphones and addressing contraband in prisons.
Hill-Lewis’s call reflects growing concerns over the role of mobile phones in enabling organized crime from within South Africa’s correctional facilities.