Parliament, Wednesday, 1 July 2026 – The Chairperson of Portfolio Committee on Correctional Services, Ms Kgomotso Anthea Ramolobeng, has welcomed the handover of the Mangaung Correctional Centre, now known as Grootvlei Maximum Correctional Centre, to the Department of Correctional Services, describing it as a significant milestone in strengthening public accountability and oversight within South Africa’s correctional system.
The committee has consistently maintained that correctional centres, particularly those housing high-risk offenders, must operate in a manner that places constitutional accountability, transparency and public interest at the centre of their administration. The 25-year public-private management partnership for the centre ended yesterday.
“The return of the centre to state management provides an important opportunity for the department to demonstrate that it has the institutional capacity, leadership and resources to manage one of the country’s most complex correctional facilities effectively and in full compliance with the Constitution and applicable legislation.
“For several years, the committee has closely monitored developments at the facility, including concerns relating to security, governance, inmate welfare, the use of force, healthcare services and contract management. These matters have underscored the importance of effective oversight and accountability in the administration of correctional facilities,” said Ms Ramolobeng.
She said that the committee believes that the transition presents an opportunity to reset the management culture at Mangaung Correctional Centre and to rebuild public confidence in the institution. This should include strengthening security systems, ensuring humane conditions of detention, improving rehabilitation programmes and fostering constructive labour relations among correctional officials.
The Chairperson emphasised that the transfer of management should not merely represent a change in administration but should result in measurable improvements in governance, operational efficiency and service delivery. “The successful management of Mangaung Correctional Centre will be judged not only by the smoothness of the transition, but by the department’s ability to uphold the constitutional rights of inmates while maintaining the safety and security of officials, inmates and the public.”
The committee expects the DCS to provide it with a progress report on the implementation of the transition plan, including staffing arrangements, financial implications, security management, rehabilitation services and measures to ensure operational stability, 30 days after taking over.
The committee also encourages the department to engage openly with organised labour, correctional officials and other stakeholders to ensure that the transition is managed in a transparent and inclusive manner.
“As part of its constitutional oversight responsibilities, the committee will continue to monitor developments at the centre through regular briefings and oversight visits to ensure that the objectives of the transition are realised and that lessons from the facility’s history inform the future management of South Africa’s correctional centres. The committee remains committed to supporting a correctional system that is secure, accountable, centred on rehabilitation and fully aligned with the values of the Constitution,” emphasised Ms Ramolobeng.
ISSUED BY THE PARLIAMENTARY COMMUNICATION SERVICES ON BEHALF OF THE CHAIRPERSON OF THE PORTFOLIO COMMITTEE ON CORRECTIONAL SERVICES, MS KGOMOTSO ANTHEA RAMOLOBENG.
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