Ronald Lamola confirms notice of termination of Mangaung prison contract

The department of correctional services (DCS) has served a 90-day notice to terminate the controversial private-public partnership (PPP) at Mangaung Correctional Centre in the wake of inmate Thabo Bester's escape.

This was confirmed by justice and correctional services minister Ronald Lamola during a presentation of the department's annual performance plans to parliament.

The department and the Bloemfontein Correctional Contracts (BCC) consortium entered into a PPP in 2000 that was due to end in June 2026. This led to a deal with multinational security company G4S, which was subcontracted by the department to operate the prison.

The deal cost R7.7bn between 2001 and the 2021/2022 financial year, with the department paying R45m a month for the contract.

Lamola on Tuesday said that the decision to terminate the contract followed legal opinion, which deemed BCC unsuitable “to continue”.

“The department this morning served the Mangaung correctional services (Pty) Ltd (private company) with a notice to terminate,” said Lamola.

“The notice to terminate follows a legal opinion DCS had sought. It has been deemed that BCC is not suitable to continue with the contract. In line with the concession contract agreement, a termination notice for a period of 90 days has been served to BCC, and thereafter, the contract will cease to operate.

“DCS has already resumed with an internal exercise for the takeover process.”

The minister confirmed the termination in response to MP Steven Swart's question, citing “systematic challenges” over the years, including Bester's escape as the reason behind the move.

Bester made a daring escape, allegedly with the aid of G4S personnel and his girlfriend Dr Nandipha Magudumana, from the prison in May 2022. He was captured nearly a year later with his lover in Arusha, Tanzania, as they were heading for the Kenyan border. He's being held at Kgosi Mampuru prison in Pretoria.

“They are struggling to meet the contractual obligations, therefore the department has decided and issued a notice of termination to the Mangaung management company with regards to this matter. And we will prefer to leave it there because it's an area of uncertainty in terms of issues of litigation,” Lamola said.

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