Justice Minister Ronald Lamola said the department’s contract with G4S to operate the Mangaung prison would end following the daring escape of convicted murderer and rapist Thabo Bester from the facility last year. Minister of Justice Ronald Lamola. File Picture: Elmond Jiyane/GCIS
Durban - While the announcement that the Department of Correctional Services (DCS) has terminated its contract with G4S to operate the Mangaung prison has been welcomed, questions have been raised about what the department will do with the facility at the end of the contract period.
On Tuesday, Justice Minister Ronald Lamola said the department’s contract with Bloemfontein Correctional Contracts (BCC) would end following the daring prison escape of convicted murderer and rapist Thabo Bester from the Mangaung Correctional Centre last year.
G4S is a shareholder in BCC.
The contract was set to expire at the end of June 2026, but recent developments led to it being cancelled early.
Eight people, including former G4S employees, Bester and his girlfriend, Dr Nandipha Magudumana, have been arrested for the escape.
Lamola, during a briefing to Members of Parliament (MPs) about his department’s annual performance plan and budget on Tuesday, said the notice to terminate came after the department secured a legal opening.
“DCS sought a legal opinion, and it has been deemed that BCC (Bloemfontein Correctional Contracts) is not suitable to continue with the contract. In line with the concession contract agreement, a termination notice of a period of 90 days has been served to the BCC, and thereafter, the contract will seize to operate”.
ActionSA president Herman Mashaba said while they cautiously welcome the decision by the DCS to terminate the contract, the department now has a responsibility to take South Africans into their confidence about their plans for the facility when the contract with G4S ends in 90 days.
“As further revelations about the escape have emerged, it has become clear that it was made possible through the complicity of several individuals. While G4S clearly failed in their mandate, the failure of DCS to provide proper oversight over the facility should not be ignored.
“It is ultimately DCS – as a government department – that has a responsibility to citizens. It is unlikely that the contract would have been cancelled if the Thabo Bester-saga was not brought to light by journalists, indicating the reactive nature of DCS’s decision. How many other South African prisons are currently dysfunctional but are not receiving media attention, and thus no oversight from DCS?” Mashaba questioned.