The bandiet who went viral for his TikTok video bragging about his “nice life” in the mang has been sent to a maximum security facility.
The video posted in June has prompted another early morning raid by authorities at Section G6 of the Goodwood Correctional Facility on Thursday, where the bandiet, Zimbabwean national Bornface Banks, was being held.
Makgothi Samuel Thobakgale, the national commissioner of the Department of Correctional Services, has strongly condemned the permissiveness that has enabled Banks to make the video, as cellphones are prohibited for inmates.
The 2 500 inmates are being overseen by 385 guards.
Thobakgale said 56 cellphones were seized in six days, and another 12 were found in the cells on Thursday.
Dagga pipes, makeshift knives were also found, and money confiscated.
After the raid, the commissioner addressed wardens and warned that disciplinary action will be taken against slapgat officers.
Thobakgale says “You have allowed inmates to utilise contraband in the centre. There are those amongst us that allow inmates to bring these to the centre, you assist and participate in the network.
“If you knew about this, why did you not give out the information so we can stop this? Why did no one stop this when he [Banks] was in the courtyard shooting a TikTok video during the day?
“There will be action. Goodwood is now on the map because of this.
“We are the last line of defence in the justice system. There is no excuse for what happened. Don't try to make excuses.
“We search every day [for contraband] but an inmate records videos over a period of six months. That’s a fact.”
DCS spokesperson Singabakho Nxumalo said Banks was first admitted at Goodwood Correctional Centre on 19 June 2024 on a kidnapping charge, but has since also been charged with murder, extortion and illegal possession of a firearm.
He said Banks had been in custody for a total of 669 days.
Nxumalo confirms: “A searching exercise was conducted on 15 July 2024 and the cellphone used by inmate Banks was confiscated.
“What we have since established is that the cellphone had an active TikTok account and a number of videos posted on 5 June 2024, 27 June 2024 and 8 July 2024 respectively.
“Action taken is that he has been charged in terms of Section 23 of Correctional Services Act 111 of 1998 as amended for illegal possession of a cellphone.
“Inmate Banks has also been transferred to a Maximum Correctional facility within the Western Region as he is due to appear in court on 9 October 2024 for a case of kidnapping.”