In May the Minister of Prisons was questioned in Parliament in detail about prison labour being used on farms but he failed to provide answers to most of the questions.
The Minister said the numbers of prisoners hired out as farm labourers in 1978 "were not readily available because separate statistics are not kept of the different categories of hirers". He said inspections of conditions were carried out, but he did not know how many were conducted in 1978 because "particulars are not readily available for similar reasons as above". Asked whether any other method of supervision was applied, Mr. Kruger stated: "Parolees or prisoners may at any time lodge complaints orally or in writing". He said that where conditions on a farm were found to be unfavourable "the provision of parolees or the hiring out of prisoners is immediately suspended until these conditions have been satisfactorily improved, or further provision of parolees and prison labour is stopped". He did not know how many times farm conditions during 1978 were found to be unsatisfactory "as the statistics were not readily available". He said it was very seldom that this occurred. Mr. Kruger said farmers were not empowered to inflict corporal punishment on prisoners. Mr. Kruger said that farmers did not pay prisoners anything but they paid the department R1.90 "per unit, per day" if the department provided a guard, and 70c per unit per day if the hirer provided a guard.
In the case of black parolees, however, wages were paid directly to them "according to mutual agreement between employer and parolee". Mr. Kruger added: "a minimum of 45c per day is, however, payable and free lodging, clothing, food and medical treatment must be payable to non-white parolees who perform unskilled labour and for whom no wage determination exists."
The Rand Daily Mail commented in relation to Mr. Kruger's replies: "It is not so many years ago that horrific conditions of prisoners sent to work on farms received massive exposure. There were court actions to rescue prisoners from farms and a great deal of press probing. The revelations resulted in widespreadoad outcry - and the Government promised better control and proper supervision.
"It is difficult to believe that any of this is being adequately satisfied after the replies from the Minister of Prisons... If there is any official concern about these issues, the replies from Mr. Kruger do not reflect it".
