[ad_1]
Kgosi Mampuru II Prison in Tshwane has recorded its first Covid-19 infection after an awaiting-trial prisoner tested positive for the virus.
On Saturday evening, the Department of Correctional Services announced the number of recorded cases at correctional facilities around the country had increased to 118.
The latest case at Kgosi Mampuru II was detected following mass screening and testing at the prison.
READ | Covid-19: Inmate at Worcester prison tests positive
It has not yet been determined if the inmate was infected while inside the prison or if he caught it before being arrested and taken to prison.
Infection
Department spokesperson Singabakho Nxumalo said it was getting information on the inmate and awaiting the results from the testing, which would help to determine the root of the infection.
The prison in Tshwane has become the third one in the country where inmates have tested positive for Covid-19.
The East London Correctional Centre in the Eastern Cape is the worst affected prison in the country, with 33 officials and 56 inmates testing positive for the virus to date.
READ | New confirmed Covid-19 case at East London prison, bringing the number to 87
News24 previously reported the outbreak of the virus at the prison emanated from an official working in its female section. It is believed the official was infected while attending a funeral.
In the Western Cape, the Worcester Correctional Centre became the second prison in South Africa, where an inmate tested positive for Covid-19.
To date, seven officials and a prisoner have tested positive at the prison.
Other prisons with confirmed cases
On Tuesday, the department announced the first Covid-19 case at a prison in Gauteng after an official at the Johannesburg Correctional Centre, also known as Sun City, tested positive.
The Warm Bokkeveld Prison in the Western Cape recorded 15 officials who have tested positive for the virus.
The Kutama Sinthumule Correctional Centre in Limpopo has recorded two cases, while an official at St Albans Correctional Centre in Port Elizabeth also tested positive for Covid-19.
NOW READ | Former ConCourt judge joins calls to release prisoners during the Covid-19 outbreak
