BLOEMFONTEIN – The Mangaung Correctional Centre in Bloemfontein will fall under the management of the Department of Correctional Services (DCS) effective 1 July. In a statement issued on Tuesday, the department confirmed the takeover as the 25-year Public-Private Partnership (PPP) agreement between the department and Bloemfontein Correctional Contracts (BCC) officially ends this month, on 30 June. The PPP contract began on 30 June 2001.

The prison gained notoriety when convicted rapist and murderer Thabo Bester, also known as the ‘Facebook rapist,’ orchestrated a brazen jailbreak in May 2022 with the aid of prison officials and his partner, Dr Nandipha Magudumana.Thetransition means the prison’s administration and management willoperate fully under the department control.

Singabakho Nxumalo, the national spokesperson for the department, said the department has presented its operational readiness plans before the Portfolio Committee in Parliament yesterday. “The department can confidently affirm that all systems are in place for the successful assumption of responsibility,” he said.

“In preparation for the transition, the department has undertaken extensive planning and implementation processes to ensure a seamless transfer of operations. As part of the integration process, Mangaung Correctional Centre will be incorporated into the department’s operational structure and will fall under the Grootvlei Management Area,” he said.

To coordinate the transition,Nxumalo said the department established seven dedicated workstreams, each tasked with specific areas of responsibility.

“These workstreams have systematically executed their mandates to ensure uninterrupted service delivery, security, and offender management from the first day of the Department’s administration. A total of 668 centre-based posts, including professional, specialist and artisan positions, were advertised on 17 Aprilthis year,” said Nxumalo.

He said the recruitment and selection processis expected to be finalised on 30 June.Nxumalo said the newly recruited officials will complement a total of 76 officials who already assumed duty at the prison. In addition,he said60 Emergency Support Team (EST) officials have been trained and deployed to conduct a comprehensive gang profiling exercise at the Mangaung Correctional Centre as part of strengthening security and ensuring a stable correctional environment.

“The transition of Mangaung Correctional Centre marks a significant milestone in the department’s efforts to strengthen state capacity in the management of correctional facilities,” said Nxumalo.He further confirmed that the department has Correctional Sentence Plans in place for all offenders accommodated at Mangaung Centre.

“All inmates currently remain classified as maximum-security offenders. Appropriate offender management systems have been reviewed and aligned to ensure continuity and compliance with departmental standards,” said Nxumalo.