Bullets hidden in watermelons, guns concealed in pap and bread, condom-wrapped airtime vouchers tucked into 2-litre cooldrink bottles - these are just some of the creative ways South African prisoners sneak contraband past warders.

Correctional services officials said this week they were stepping up efforts to prevent illegal goods from getting into prisons amid fears that smuggling attempts would increase ahead of the festive season.

A brazen attempt two weeks ago by Radovan Krejcir - who is awaiting sentencing after being convicted of attempted murder - to sneak a cellphone and cellphone batteries into his cell highlighted the issue of prison smuggling. The cellphone was hidden in an electric kettle.

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In March this year, warders at Dundee Prison in northern KwaZulu-Natal were left red-faced when three inmates sneaked a gun and bullets into their cells using the lunch brought to them by a visitor.

"Bullets and a firearm were smuggled to one of the prisoners by a visitor," said KwaZulu-Natal regional commissioner Mnikelwa Nxele.

"The bullets were hidden inside the watermelon and the firearm was inside a 2-litre ice cream container filled with stywepap."

The same day the weapon was smuggled in, the men overpowered warders and escaped. It was only when they were rearrested and interrogated that warders found out how they got the gun in.

"We have had cases of people hiding guns inside loaves of bread, and drugs being hidden inside a cake," Nxele said.

"Warders have also found people put cellphones inside condoms and then put the cellphone into a cold-drink bottle; and drugs were put inside condoms and then put into bottles of body lotion. We've even seen drugs smuggled in toothpaste tubes."

Correctional Services Department spokesman Manelisi Wolela said drugs, money, cellphones and knives were the items most commonly smuggled, but officers had come across more bizarre things.

"We have found inmates smuggling witchcraft medicines, traditional herbs and muti into prison. We have also found vibrators being sneaked in," said Wolela.

As part of the department's increased security plans, Wolela said state-of-the-art body-cavity scanners would be installed by July next year, starting at Kgosi Mampuru II, Johannesburg, Pollsmoor, St Albans, Durban-Westville, Groenpunt and Barberton prisons. This, he said, would go a long way to ensuring that inmates did not obtain illegal goods.

More frequent and surprise searches have also been promised.

However, Wolela admitted that some inmates were bypassing the security measures by greasing the palms of dodgy warders.

"We know that there are a small minority of unscrupulous officials who themselves are criminals masquerading in Department of Correctional Services uniforms, who are willing to sacrifice these noble goals of a safer and secure South Africa for a quick buck on the altar of greed."

He said any official caught helping inmates with any illegal activity would face charges and "swap their brown uniform for an orange one".

sub_head_start What is a cell without a cellphone, hey bra? sub_head_end

Nxele was shocked when he got a phone call from an inmate at Durban's Westville Prison asking him to set up a conjugal visit.

"I was at home about a week ago when I received a missed call. I returned the call not knowing it was an inmate calling from a cellphone," he said.

"He said to me: 'I'm inside here. Can you help me with a cherry, with a lady?' I said: 'Really? You know I work for correctional services.' The guy replied: 'Ja, please, man. If you can do this for me.' It was so strange," said Nxele.

It was an example of the easy access prisoners have to cellphones . Many use them to browse social networking sites and for instant messaging .

"At night, that's when they have an opportunity to get in touch with the outside world," said the prison official.

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In July, inmates at Pollsmoor Prison caused a stir when they created a Facebook group and posted pictures of themselves in their cells and other prison facilities. The page still exists, but all the content has been deleted.

But there is a darker side to prisoners' access to social media. An assault victim, who asked not to be named, said her ex-partner, who has been convicted and sentenced, regularly contacted her via social media. He had sent messages over Facebook threatening to kill her and her child.

The Department of Correctional Services is piloting signal-detecting devices and signal jammers to fight the problem. Wolela said a task team had been set up to deal with eliminating cellphones from cells. While the team was at work, the department was installing "cellphone-detection devices" at 39 prisons across the country.

"Our long-term goal is to cover all correctional facilities," Wolela said.

Signal blockers were also being considered, but legislation might have to be amended.

sub_head_start Pin 'money' just like cash to inmates sub_head_end

Airtime and money transfer vouchers or pin codes are like gold in South African prisons - used to trade for drugs, weapons, toiletries, cigarettes and even a cup of coffee.

Nxele said these vouchers were used as a "stock exchange of some sort" behind bars.

A former inmate, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said airtime was four times more valuable inside prison - a R5 voucher was often sold for the equivalent of R20, and a pre-registered sim card would cost R100.

"For you to be treated well when you have just been arrested, you have to ask your family to buy you airtime, which you can then pass on," said the ex-con.

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If an inmate had drugs and cigarettes, he said, that person was "very rich".

"If you have it, you can do anything," he said.

Wolela said a R30 airtime voucher could get traded for a pack of cigarettes or a big bag of tobacco.

Some inmates would use their smuggled-in R15 voucher or money transfer pin to barter for another inmate to do a load of their washing, and those inmates who did not get visits and gifts from family members would use vouchers for toiletries. "It can also be used for buying sugar and coffee; a R3 voucher is equal to two spoons of sugar and one spoon of coffee," said Wolela.

- additional reporting by Bongani Mthethwa