Cape Town — The Department of Correctional Services (DCS) revealed it was ready to take over ownership of the privately operated Mangaung Correctional Centre.
The centre is located in Bloemfontein and is known as the centre where Thabo Bester allegedly escaped from. The Department revealed that no escapes or attempted escapes took place at the prison’s facility in the past financial year, EWN reported.
The Department added that officials briefed the portfolio committee on their readiness to take control of the prison from the private security company, G4S, in a decision that was prompted by Thabo Bester’s escape. The facility has been managed by Bloemfontein Correctional Contracts (BCC) for over 25 years under the daily operations of G4S.
In 2021, the national commissioner appointed a takeover task team led by regional commissioners in preparation for the takeover of both Mangaung and Kutama-Sinthumule correctional centres at the end of 2026 and 2027 respectively.
Regional Commissioner Subashini Moodley said they were now ready.
“We are indicating that the department is ready to take over the operations of MCC and the takeover will only commence, very importantly, once the legal processes have been finalised.”
PC on Correctional Service Chairperson Ms Kgomotso Anthea Ramolobeng opens the meeting on Mangaung & Kutama-Sinthumela private correctional centres @ParliamentofRSA @HealthSocClust @DCS_ZA @GovernanceClus1 @DefenceCluster @FinanceCluster @EconoCluster pic.twitter.com/WKRKgFrCDP
— Justice-and-security-Cluster (@JustSecuCluster) November 26, 2024
G4S is currently engaged in a legal battle with the department following its notice to terminate the contract after Bester’s escape in May 2022.
According to The Citizen, the BCC said it would fight the matter in court, and while the decision is still pending, it appears as though it is just delaying the inevitable.
“The takeover will continue after the legal processes are finalised or at the end of the contract, whichever one comes first. Once DCS has taken over the facility, R50 million will be reprioritised for both operational cost and compensation,” the department confirmed.
Bester’s escape was a bad mark on the prison’s record of rehabilitation in the country and the DCS hanalysed the prison, including personnel checks on the 557 employees working there.
These included cross-referencing fingerprints of inmates against the warrants for their arrests to ensure the identities were the same, and the DCS found that the records were up to date but not in line with DCS best practices.
Chairperson of the Portfolio Committee on Correctional Services Kgomotso Ramolobeng expressed concerns that some inmates still do not have identity documents.
“We do not want another incident like Thabo Bester when we found out he does not have an ID,” Ramolobeng said.
The DCS explained to the chairperson that inmates claimed not to have enough money to apply for an ID, suggesting they used that as an excuse to avoid potential additional criminal charges.
The 3 024-capacity Kutama-Sinthumile Correction Centre (KSCC) began housing inmates in February 2022 under the same management concept.
This facility is run by South Africa Custodial Management but the same process that MCC has undergone will be completed before the expiration of the contract in February 2027.
“The takeover of KSCC will be finalised after Mangaung,” DCS concluded.
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Compiled by Matthew Petersen
