By Andrew Carruthers – Editor-In-Chief,
Photography by Matthew Poultney

Tuesday the 28th of October 2008 saw us venture back into Leeukop Prison in Jozi as invited guests of the Maximum Security Prison Sports Day. My last encounter with Leeukop prison was in March of 2006, shortly after we had received a letter from Samson Dlamini requesting that we visit the gym and training facilities of the prison. Once we had accepted the invitation for this article, I decided to give Marius Dohne a call as he was already in Johannesburg having recently competed in Quentin Fong’s Ultimate Showdown. He gladly accepted and we both decided that it would be a great opportunity for the inmates to catch a glimpse of one of South Africa’s best in the effort to push them on with the sport. Pulling up to the fortress-like entrance of the Maximum Security Prison, The feeling of complete incarceration that was new to me over a year ago, remained fresh in my mind, and it was a feeling that I didn’t miss. High tensile steel fences decorated with razor wire and solid steel entrance gates awaited us as we walked towards the prison entrance. I think I even heard Marius whispering under his breath “What the hell am I doing here?” as we approached the gate. After we were searched for weapons, cellphones and anything else that was contraband to our entry into the premises, we were escorted through the prison, through a series of gates that were securely guarded by prison officials with batons. As we moved deeper into the prison, it was clear that the sports hall was already buzzing with activity and the dull thumping of bass could be heard pulsing through the compound. After Marius was done giving prison officials the fright of their lives with his sheer size, we eventually

reached the start of the courtyards, the place where prisoners are allowed a small amount of time each day to feel the sunlight on their face, breath the fresh African air and socialise to a certain degree. The sunlight was a fresh welcome sensation in stark contrast to the narrow passageways and cold type of structure we had moved through to get to the point at which we stood. At the end of the courtyard the source of the loud music was evident and it was clear that the sports hall was already packed with inmates that were allowed to watch the events. As we entered the double wooden doors, it took almost a split second for our eyes to adjust from the extreme sunlight outside. Immediately we were aware that all eyes were upon us. The music was deafening and the massive crowd within the hall was fired up for the show that was to unfold. Marius’ appearance took the inmates by sheer surprise and once again the volume of the discussions over our arrival hiked up beyond a deafening level. Turning around we noticed some 200 inmates all dressed in the same “Prisoner” or “Corrections” orange overalls. For those that have never been in a prison before and have probably watched too much of the American series called “Lock-Down” on DSTV, it’s quite an experience. But the feeling of danger was soon replaced by calm as the Emcee took to the microphone and began to start the day’s proceedings. At first there was a weight lifting competition which comprised of a squat category where inmates were separated into lightweights, middleweights and heavyweights. Each competitor was given the opportunity to begin with a light weight (warm-up set) of around 60kg and thenas each competitor completed their given weight, the weight on the bar gradually increased all the way up to over 200kg. Few of the inmates could handle such a large amount of resistance on the bar, but it was great to see the amount of strength that some of the lighter guys could actually handle.

After the weight lifting event, it was time to bring out the bodybuilders. Again the categories were split into the lightweight, middleweight and heavyweight. Before we let the guys come out to display their physiques, they asked Marius to get up on the make shift stage that they had temporarily constructed and I personally introduced him to the crowd, told them a few of his achievements and then we got straight into doing some compulsory posing. Once that was done, all the athletes in all the divisions first came into the hall to “parade” according to the emcee and showed off their physiques before they were judged in the usual line-up manner. Considering the limited amount of access these guys have to high quality whole foods and expensive gym equipment, their physiques were quite impressive, especially in the heavyweight division where it was clear that some of the inmates were blessed with great muscle building genetics. The Lightweight category saw Zukile Ngxito take first place with Moses Sibeko in second and Tebogo Mokoena in third place. In the middle weight division it was Sifisiso Masondo who took first place with Zenzo Sibisi in second and Joaquin Machel in third place. The most impressive line-up being the heavyweight division saw Sipho Sibisi take the first place medal with Thulani Mhlongo in second and Ben Chansa in third. With time running out and Marius threatening to eat my left leg if he didn’t get food fast, we left the prison compound and were released back into the society from which we had come from. There is always something strange and somewhat relieving about being released from Leeukop prison. Even though clearly we are not convicts, there is always that part of your imagination which keeps asking the question: “What if I don’t get out of here?”