New Noupoort claims

2003-10-27 21:17

Cindy Preller

Noupoort - A young man, who was a patient at the controversial rehabilitation centre at Noupoort, apparently fought for his life when he was locked up in a cage as punishment.

Thomas Wernars, 18, claimed he escaped from a cage at a detention camp of the Noupoort Christian Care Centre (NCCC) on Friday so he could write his matric exam.

"I had no food for two days and they handcuffed me. The supervisors beat me with a pole and threw me on the ground. I pulled a door from its frame to escape," Wernars said.

Wernars said the detention camp was situated on a secluded farm and the farmstead had allegedly been turned into a "prison".

"A group of us were thrown into a cage for punishment and we were sometimes given small portions of food to eat. It was completely dark inside and there was vomit on the floor. We were given buckets to relieve ourselves in," he said.

Wernars claimed he was locked up because he argued with his teacher at the centre. For punishment, he had to share a cage with five other patients who had also broken the rules.

"There was one guy who was beaten to a pulp at the detention camp, but the police either can't or won't go in there to investigate. Our human rights are not being protected and what is happening there is illegal," Wernars said.

He was supposed to have written his Afrikaans matric paper on Monday, but was not allowed to complete the exam at the NCCC's facilities.

Sophocles Nissiotis, head of NCCC, said Wernars gave up his right to sit for his final exam when he left the centre.

"He hit the teacher's assistant and tried to have sex with one of his fellow male students. He caused a great deal of upheaval at the disciplinary facility and we decided in the end to let him go.

"He has caused a lot of trouble and if he didn't leave, we would have kicked him out," Nissiotis said.

Inspector Tony Modise, Northern Cape police spokesperson, said Wernars filed assault charges against three of the centre's staff members. The centre filed a charge of deliberate damage to property against Wernars.

Ashley Theron of the department of social development said the investigation into human rights abuses at NCCC has not been concluded.

"According to a court order, the centre is entitled to have a punishment programme, but not the same type at the one at Midlandia where Logan Klingenberg died," Theron said.

- Die Burger