The Mangaung Prison () is a
maximum security prison Maximum security prisons and supermax prisons are grades of high security level used by prison
A prison, also known as a jail, gaol, penitentiary, detention center, correction center, correctional facility, or remand center, is a facility wher ...
in
Bloemfontein
Bloemfontein ( ; ), also known as Bloem, is the capital and the largest city of the Free State (province), Free State province in South Africa. It is often, and has been traditionally, referred to as the country's "judicial capital", alongsi ...
,
Free State, South Africa. The prison is privately owned and managed by the company
G4S
G4S is a British multinational private security company headquartered in London, England. The company was set up in July 2004 when London-based Securicor amalgamated with Danish firm Group 4 Falck. The company offers a range of services, in ...
as part of a consortium. The
South African Department of Correctional Services signed a 25-year contract with the consortium in 2000. The prison can accommodate around 3,000 prisoners.
In October 2013, the department temporarily took over the prison, after G4S "lost effective control of the facility". In October, a female custodian with 13 years of experience was taken hostage by prisoners. She was later saved unharmed by a special police task force.
2022 escape
After staging a
self-immolation
Self-immolation is the act of setting oneself on fire. It is mostly done for political or religious reasons, often as a form of protest or in acts of martyrdom, and known for its disturbing and violent nature.
Etymology
The English word ' ...
in his cell on 3 May 2022,
Thabo Bester escaped from the Mangaung Correctional Center with the apparent help of the guards.
Documentary
In 2019 the documentary 'Prison for profit' was published about problems and use of excessive force in the prison. Investigative journalist Ruth Hopkins has mentioned that the South African minister for correctional services
S'bu Ndebele
Sibusiso Joel "S'bu" Ndebele (born 17 October 1948) is the former Minister of Correctional Services serving from 2012 to 2014. He has been on the National Executive Committee (NEC) of the African National Congress (ANC) since 1997, and was the ...
in 2013 would arrange an investigation which would be published within 30 days. The report was not yet released in 2019.
See also
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Brandvlei Correctional Centre
Brandvlei Correctional Centre (formerly Brandvlei Prison) is a prison situated on the bank of the Brandvlei Dam near Worcester, Western Cape, South Africa. It contains a maximum-security unit, a medium-security unit, and a juvenile unit. The faci ...
*
Drakenstein Correctional Centre
Drakenstein Correctional Centre (formerly Victor Verster Prison) is a low-security prison between Paarl and Franschhoek, on the R301 road 5 km from the R45 Huguenot Road, in the valley of the Dwars River in the Western Cape of South Africa. ...
*
Kgosi Mampuru II Correctional Centre
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Pollsmoor Prison
Pollsmoor Prison, officially known as Pollsmoor Maximum Security Prison, is located in the Cape Town suburb of Tokai in South Africa. Pollsmoor is a maximum security penal facility that continues to hold some of South Africa's most dangerous c ...
*
Moses Sithole
Moses Sithole (born 17 November 1964) is a South African serial killer and rapist who committed the ABC Murders. It is believed that he is so named because they began in Atteridgeville, continued in Boksburg and finished in Cleveland, a suburb ...
serial killer
*
Westville Prison
Westville Prison is located on the outskirts of Westville (eThekwini Metropolitan Municipality), a town inland of Durban. It is one of the largest prisons in South Africa and the only prison located in the Durban
Durban ( ; , from meaning ...
References
Buildings and structures in Bloemfontein
Prisons in South Africa
Residential buildings in the Free State (province)
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