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 andbut 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.

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