Mangaung prison back in govt's hands 'in two months'

Lamola made the announcement when he was delivering the department's budget vote in Parliament on Thursday.

Earlier this month, Lamola announced that his department will be cutting ties with Bloemfontein Correctional Contracts (BCC)- a company that subcontracted G4S to run Mangaung Correctional Centre in Bloemfontein.

The Bloemfontein facility is run by G4S in a 25-year public-private partnership with the government.

The contract was set to run until 2026 and it is understood that the government pays service providers at least R1 billion a year to run the facilities.

The decision to terminate the contract with G4S follows the dramatic escape of convicted rapist and murderer Thabo Bester.

He escaped from the maximum-security prison in May last year by faking his own death and was rearrested in Tanzania earlier this month.

He was allegedly assisted by employees at the prison and his medical doctor lover.

Lamola told MPs that the takeover process is finally underway with the necessary urgency.

He said the department is also in the process of taking over Kutama Sinthumule Correctional Centre in Limpopo, which is run by an American company GEO Group as part of a 25-year agreement. 

The department will take over the facility at the end of the contract in 2027.

"The takeover work streams have factored both Mangaung and Kutama in their planning," said Lamola.

This will ensure a seamless transition, and some of the lessons learnt with MCC will be critical towards our operations."

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