The department's Deputy Commissioner, Logan Maistry, confirms that summons were served on Lamola by the families of slain Nomsa Stuurman and her colleague, who was raped by Jongikhaya Samsam, in March 2019, with intentions to sue the minister. 

The Daily Maverick news outlet recently reported that Lamola is being sued for R70-million in damages. 

Maistry tells OFM News that as part of the due process, Lamola also filed papers accordingly. Daily Maverick reports Lamola filed a plea in response to the widower Nyanisile Stuurman’s and Nomsa's colleague's claims, in which he denied that he was liable and alleged instead that the victims were negligent.

He wants the Bloemfontein High Court to make an order declaring the victims were negligent and that any damages awarded against him get reduced by a “just and equitable” extent given their "degree of negligence”.

Currently, another correctional officer, Mojalefa Letele, accused of plotting the murder of Stuurman with Samsam, is standing trial in the High Court, scheduled to run from 3 to 14 August.

Letele is alleged to have planned the murder of Stuurman in 2019 with the killer and convict, Jongikhaya Samsam, at the Goedemoed Prison in the Free State. In 2019, in an affidavit, Samsam told Judge President Cagney Musi that Letele offered him R100 000 and a pair of sneakers if he succeeds to take out Stuurman. Samsam later on brutally killed Stuurman by stabbing her with a pair of scissors in the neck, took her body hostage, and also raped her then-pregnant colleague.

During Samsam’s trial, a visibly irritated and upset Judge Musi questioned the effectiveness of the offender’s rehabilitation programme by the department and questioned why Samsam, who was in jail for serious crimes, was even allowed to clean Stuurman's office.

Musi questioned whether the department was successful in its effort to try and rehabilitate offenders with hopes of being integrated back into society.

This as a DCS official, Jimmy Lenong, gave a heartfelt testimony on the devastating impact this incident had on the entire community of the Correctional Facility Centre, in particular female warders. 

Musi asked why Samsam, who was already serving two life terms and previously had been charged with Grievous Bodily Harm (GBV) in 2016 and 2017, was let to work in that particular area at the time of the incident. 

Judge Musi subsequently sentenced Samsam to two life terms in prison for murder and rape, and five years for kidnapping. He said the department, in essence, puts the lives of the women in danger by not acting swiftly after the two assault cases against Samsam. 

The Judge President told Lenong that the department should have realised that the accused was not a desirable person or candidate to be chosen as a cleaner for those offices where he killed Stuurman and raped her colleague.

In August, while on an official visit to open a wall of remembrance for Stuurman, Lamola said the passing of Stuurman was a call upon all officials to prioritise conditions of employment for female officials who face enormous challenges at centres across the country and in society.

Daily Maverick reported that from the R70 million claim in the lawsuit a R40-million claim is from Nomsa Stuurman’s widower, Nyanisile Stuurman, a R20-million claim is from the colleague who was raped, and the last R10-million claim is from the estate of Nomsa.

OFM News