Parliament, Friday, 31 July 2026 – The Portfolio Committee on Correctional Services will next week, Tuesday, 4 August 2026, undertake an oversight visit to Mangaung Correctional Centre in Bloemfontein, Free State, to assess the facility following its takeover by the Department of Correctional Services (DCS).
The oversight visit forms part of the committee's constitutional mandate to oversee the work of DCS. It will assess the condition of the infrastructure inherited from the previous private contractor, the progress made in addressing concerns previously raised by the committee, the conditions under which inmates are incarcerated, the implementation of rehabilitation programmes, and self-sufficiency and sustainability initiatives at the centre.
The committee will also engage with the department on operational challenges experienced since the takeover and identify lessons that will inform Parliament's oversight ahead of the planned takeover of the Kutama-Sinthumule Correctional Centre in Makhado, Limpopo, in February 2027.
Details of the visit are as follows:
Date: Tuesday, 4 August 2026
Time: 09:00
Venue: Mangaung Correctional Centre, Bloemfontein, Free State.
Members of the media are welcome to cover the oversight visit.
ISSUED BY PARLIAMENT COMMUNICATION SERVICES
For media enquiries or interviews with the Chairperson, please contact the committee's Media Officer:
Mr Justice Molafo
Cell: 081 424 7481
Email: jmolafo@parliament.gov.za
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