By Sarah Burdeniuk

While countless people have stumbled over my surname over the years, I never imagined that this category would one day include a prisoner from South Africa. This day came recently, during my participation in an HIV/AIDS workshop at Malmesbury Correctional Centre, when an inmate and co-participant was taking attendance. Like many before, he struggled with the rather cumbersome Ukrainian name as the other inmates glanced at one another, confused about the possibility of a newcomer (I could certainly sympathize with this man as I had been similarly struggling with African names since my arrival in Cape Town a month prior to begin an internship funded by the Canadian International Development Agency and implemented by Algonquin College). 

It was a warm spring day and four of my co-workers from the HIV/AIDS Unit at Cape Peninsula University of Technology and I had just arrived at the centre to conduct a workshop with some 40 male inmates with regard to HIV/AIDS and safer sex, as part of the Unit’s community outreach program. Awareness and prevention efforts are crucial in South Africa, which has the largest number of infections in the world, with an estimated 5.7 million people living with HIV or a prevalence rate of 18%, according to the latest data from UNAIDS (and last May the Development Bank of Southern Africa reported an even more alarming statistic of 7.6 million people infected in the country).

Our arrival at the medium security facility’s gates was, in fact, quite anticlimactic. After learning that we would conduct this workshop, I admittedly had visions of a menacing environment. Before I left for Cape Town, I came across an episode of the television series Ross Kemp on Gangs, in which the host (and British actor) gained unprecedented access to the notorious Pollsmoor Prison outside of Cape Town. Overcrowded and overrun by members of the city’s infamous gangs called the 27s and 28s, the chaotic images and inmates’ admissions of sexual violence and murder of police officers as part of initiation left a lasting impression, to say the least.

I was therefore quite surprised when we drove up to the facility, which overlooks the quaint district of Swartland, some 60 kms from Cape Town and consists of several low-level brick buildings with many windows and blue trim. Remaining consistent with the stunning scenery of Cape Town and the surrounding area, the grounds were immaculately kept, dotted with manicured lawns, palm trees and tropical flowers. The inmates were easily identifiable, dressed in orange jumpsuits covered with the word “corrections” printed in black circular patters, making them appear polka dotted from afar. A few were looking out of their windows and a small group was taking part in a rugby game in the sun.

Save for the jumpsuits and numerous male and female warders in brown uniforms milling about, the premises felt not unlike a holiday resort. In fact, the 10-year-old facility has been dubbed “Malmesbury Hotel” by the South African press due to the reportedly luxurious treatment famous political prisoners have received here. It is arguable that, ironically, the inmates are afforded better living conditions than many South Africans who reside in inadequate housing (often shacks) in townships and informal settlements.

However once the workshop began, I was abruptly reminded that the centre’s 620 residents are not there to sip margaritas. When my colleague and facilitator frankly asked how many participants were serving time for rape, at least one third of the men raised their hands. Others acknowledged that they ended up at the prison for committing murder. The men were all so-called coloured and black (labels given to the country’s racial groups during Apartheid and still commonly used) and of all ages.

Nonetheless, I was soon at ease with the group and immediately noticed the inmates’ courtesy, enthusiasm and discipline. In response to our facilitator’s first request to list negative but also positive aspects of HIV/AIDS, 40 heads immediately went down and they diligently jotted down answers. Even more, I was impressed by the participants’ knowledge of the disease. Some positive aspects of the disease they mentioned included the fact that it can be managed with antiretroviral medication (ARVs) and a healthy lifestyle, HIV-positive pregnant women can prevent the transmission of the virus to their babies and becoming informed can empower oneself to teach others about awareness, prevention and stigma.

Throughout the two-day workshop, I continually observed how articulate and well-informed the inmates were about very specific HIV/AIDS-related topics, such as CD4 counts, the ABC Model (Abstain, Be Faithful and Condomize), the window period and the importance of taking ARVs between 48 and 72 hours following rape in order to prevent infection. Of interest to the group was also the high prevalence of tuberculosis in the country (and especially in the province of Western Cape where Swartland and Cape Town are situated) and the disease’s inextricable link with HIV/AIDS.

And as facilitators, we were happy to see that there were always plenty of volunteers for the various activities, including a demonstration of the proper use of male and female condoms, role plays regarding issues like negotiating safer sex and the simulation of an HIV test.

On a more personal level, I was encouraged not only by the inmates’ overwhelmingly positive response to our workshop and the issue of HIV/AIDS, but also by my experience at Malmesbury in general and the possibility of rehabilitation. In the centre’s entrance, sits a display case with trophies awarded to the facility for various management-related accomplishments. Its vision is also prominently displayed: To be one of the best in the world delivering correctional services with integrity and a commitment to excellence. And posters with phrases like “Offenders are Human” line the walls. With an aim to successfully reintegrate offenders into society, Malmesbury encourages education, skills development, sports & recreation and spiritual programs.

Following the workshop, I was glad to have replaced the narrow perspective that I had received of South Africa’s prisons from a European television program with a much more nuanced understanding of the country’s correctional system and its residents. Both my professional and personal experiences during this internship have been invaluable in constantly reminding me to suspend judgment and be open- minded, gain as much information as possible and ideally experience everything that I can first hand. This is especially true in the context of South Africa (and often Africa in general) which all too often receives simplistic and negative domestic and international media coverage. The South African newspaper Mail & Guardian puts it aptly in describing its commendable online initiative, Voices of Africa, which counteracts this problem: “It aims to show how we live in Africa, not how we die.” The resilience, determination and optimism of people I meet everyday here, including the Malmesbury inmates, reminds me that the story of HIV/AIDS in South Africa and globally is not all gloom and doom and a concerted focus – particularly on prevention – will make a difference.

                                                                       back to Interns' Stories