Prisons spokesman Major Koos Gerber said 54 prisoners had escaped but 12 were quickly recaptured after the breakouts in KwaZulu-Natal province.
Officials from the Department of Correctional Services and members of the Police and Prisons Civil Rights Organization were meeting Tuesday to discuss the warders' demands.
Gerber said the go-slow at most KwaZulu-Natal prisons by warders was "irresponsible."
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