The company behind South Africa’s most notorious prison escape scandal will hand over Mangaung Correctional Centre to the government come the end of June, ending a 25-year private management arrangement forever associated with convicted rapist and murderer Thabo Bester’s fake death and dramatic escape.
The Department of Correctional Services confirmed on Tuesday that it is ready to assume full operational responsibility for the Bloemfontein maximum-security prison from July 1, following the expiry of its public-private partnership agreement with Bloemfontein Correctional Contracts (BCC) on June 30.
The announcement marks the end of a quarter-century contract under which BCC, through security giant G4S, operated one of South Africa’s most controversial correctional facilities.
A seamless transition
Correctional Services spokesperson Singabakho Nxumalo told Parliament that extensive preparations had been made to ensure a seamless transition.
“The Department of Correctional Services is confident that, upon the expiry of the PPP agreement on 30 June 2026, Mangaung Correctional Centre will be fully operational under the administration and management of the Department of Correctional Services from 1 July 2026,” said Nxumalo.
Mangaung Correctional Centre became synonymous with scandal after Bester’s astonishing escape came to light in 2023.
Authorities had initially announced that Bester had died in a fire inside his prison cell in May 2022. Investigators later uncovered evidence suggesting that another man’s body had been placed in the cell and burned, allowing Bester to escape while the country believed he was dead.
The revelation sparked a national manhunt and exposed serious security failures at the privately managed prison. Several officials and associates were subsequently arrested as investigators probed allegations of collusion in the escape.
Long before the Bester scandal, Mangaung had already attracted controversy. Over the years, the prison faced allegations of torture, forced injections of inmates with anti-psychotic medication, prolonged solitary confinement, violent unrest and labour disputes that prompted government intervention.
Prison to fall under Grootvlei Management Area
Nxumalo said the prison would now be integrated into the department’s operational structure under the Grootvlei Management Area.
“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 prepare for the takeover, the department established seven dedicated workstreams responsible for managing various aspects of the transition.
“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,” Nxumalo said.
Recruitment drive
A major recruitment drive is also underway.
According to Nxumalo, 668 centre-based posts, including professional, specialist and artisan positions, were advertised in April, with the recruitment process expected to be completed before the handover date.
“A total of 76 officials have already assumed duty at Mangaung Correctional Centre,” he said.
The department has further deployed 60 Emergency Support Team officials to conduct gang profiling and strengthen security inside the facility.
“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,” Nxumalo said.
For the Department of Correctional Services, the takeover represents a major administrative transition. For many South Africans, however, it signals the end of a prison era remembered for allegations of abuse, years of controversy and the extraordinary escape of the inmate who convinced the nation he had died behind bars.
- The company behind South Africa’s most notorious prison escape scandal will hand over Mangaung Correctional Centre to the government come the end of June, ending a 25-year private management arrangement forever associated with convicted rapist and murderer Thabo Bester’s fake death and dramatic escape.
- The Department of Correctional Services confirmed on Tuesday that it is ready to assume full operational responsibility for the Bloemfontein maximum-security prison from July 1, following the expiry of its public-private partnership agreement with Bloemfontein Correctional Contracts (BCC) on June 30.
- The announcement marks the end of a quarter-century contract under which BCC, through security giant G4S, operated one of South Africa’s most controversial correctional facilities.
- A seamless transition Correctional Services spokesperson Singabakho Nxumalo told Parliament that extensive preparations had been made to ensure a seamless transition.
- “The Department of Correctional Services is confident that, upon the expiry of the PPP agreement on 30 June 2026, Mangaung Correctional Centre will be fully operational under the administration and management of the Department of Correctional Services from 1 July 2026,” said Nxumalo.
