Rape is common, says prison doc

2004-02-10 14:51

Pretoria - A Pretoria Local Prison doctor admitted on Tuesday that rape among inmates was "very common", and measures to deal with it were inadequate.

Giving evidence before the Jali Commission of Inquiry into corruption and maladministration in prisons, Dr Kobeli Khomari was questioned at length about the lack of support structures for raped prisoners. Khomari agreed this amounted to a callous disregard for the rights of victims.

Khomari, a part-time doctor at the prison, told the commission it was not unusual for alleged rape victims to be examined only a day later, resulting in much evidence being lost.

"I would agree it is not right," he said in response to a question by evidence leader Graham Barlow.

Khomari also conceded that rape claims very seldom reached court, saying that in all the cases he had examined he was called to testify only once.

He said victims were not referred for psychological help as a matter of course - only when the examining doctor believed the trauma to be "very severe".

Louis Karp

"I should think that from now on it should be my duty to refer all cases to welfare workers and/or psychologists," he told the commission.

Khomari was testifying about claims by former inmate Louis Karp that he was raped and abused while awaiting trial for car theft in 2001 and 2002.

Karp claimed the doctor examined him for only eight seconds, spoke only two sentences to him, and failed to counsel him on the need for an HIV test and the availability of antiretroviral drugs.

The doctor admitted failing to counsel Karp, despite conceding that knowledge about drugs could save a person's life.

Khomari also conceded having failed to question Karp about his psychological well-being and said this was not normally done.

"Would you agree that this amounts to an enormous lapse of professional duty?" Barlow asked. The doctor agreed.

He added there was nobody at the hospital trained to give HIV/Aids counselling.

Khomari acknowledged guilt on all Karp's claims - except for the duration of the examination.

Eugene de Kock

Meanwhile, former Vlakplaas commander Eugene de Kock arrived at the court in the morning in anticipation of evidence to be led implicating him in an alleged plot to fabricate evidence to discredit Karp.

Last week, Barlow told the commission that De Kock and Pretoria Local Prison head Nico Baloyi have been named in the alleged plot.

It was alleged that Baloyi asked a prisoner to give false testimony. This prisoner, a former policeman, was allegedly helping prison warders draw up false statements for submission to the commission.

Barlow declined to name the source of the allegations as he feared for that person's safety. But he indicated that the individual was prepared to testify before the commission.

That evidence was expected to be led later on Tuesday.

- SAPA