With four weeks left before the G4S contract at the infamous Mangaung Correctional Centre (MCC) comes to an end, a union is fighting to have more than 500 employees absorbed by the state.
The department of correctional services (DCS) has been in talks with the Police and Prisons Civil Rights Union (Popcru) which represents more than 90% of the 507 workers at the Free State facility.
Sowetan understands that another meeting is scheduled to take place tomorrow to further discuss the future of these workers.
The department is faced with a conundrum of understaffing at its prisons while absorbing the Mangaung workers would come with risks. The department will have to match their salaries as they earned higher wages than prison wardens in other facilities.
Popcru spokesperson Richard Mamabolo said the union had been fighting to save the jobs of the workers ahead of the July 31 deadline when G4S is expected to vacate the prison to make way for DCS total take over.
“Our priority right now is save our members’ jobs and the discussion about financial implications to the department when they have hired the G4S workers will be discussed at a later stage once we have reached an agreement,” said Mamabolo.
“These workers were hired by G4S under the Correctional Services Act which means that their scope of work is government by DCS and that they are skilled enough to take over the Mangaung Centre beyond July 31.
“It wouldn’t make sense for the DCS not to hire them because DCS is already understaffed at all their facilities and the guys from Mangaung are familiar with how that prison operates,” he said.
However, DA MPL Adv Glynnis Breytenbach, who sits in the portfolio committee on Justice and Correctional Services, said the G4S officials should not be retained without being vetted.
“The issues of the G4S staff is problematic. It is unclear whether the department of correctional service (DCS) has sufficient or any expertise with regard to running the high tech facility like Mangaung. At the same time, there is an obvious, deeply concerning issue regarding rife corruption within the ranks of the officials at that facility.
“I am not aware of DCS doing anything to mitigate this problem, and I am reasonably sure that they have not done anything proactive in this regard. On the face of it, the G4S officials should not be retained without some form of lifestyle audits and performance management checks,” Breytenbach said.
DCS spokesperson Singabakho Nxumalo did not want to disclose his department’s future plans with G4S employees, saying an announcement would be made in due course.
“There are no changes nor amendments on the 90 days notice of termination issued on May 2 2023. The department is currently busy with takeover processes, which are at an advance stage as July 31 2023 is the last day for the contractor to be at the MCC.
“The department has not received any notice challenging the termination of the concession contract,” said Nxumalo.
While there have been numerous scandals at the MCC, about the torture of inmates and strip-searches of prison warders resulting in a temporary takeover by the department previously, the partnership came crashing down with the orchestrated escape of convicted murderer and rapist, Thabo Bester, which was only confirmed 10 months after he had fled the facility after a burnt body was found n his cell.
Bester and his partner Dr Nandipha Magudumana were arrested in Tanzania in April, nearly a year after the escape.
DCS accused the company of not properly managing the facility and frustrating their internal investigation into the Bester saga.
In May, DCS announced that it would terminate its 22-year-old contract with the multinational company which was given 90 days to vacate the facility.
The contract was meant to officially come to an end in June 2026.
The company was being paid R45m a month and total value of the contract is about R2.6bn.
An employee at MCC said their managers had told them that it was up to DCS to decide what happens with their employment.
“We were told that after the termination of the contract we will not get money for the remaining years [of the original contract] but we will only get benefits until the end of this month. The company said they had requested one month extension from the DCS so they can finish the exiting preparations,” said the employee.
Breytenbach said members of her committee had requested a meeting with DCS before July 31 to discuss G4S exit.
“The department has assured us that they will take over seamlessly but nobody knows what is happening.”
– Additional Reporting Becker Semela
Popcru in talks with correctional services about the future of G4S employees
DA demands they should first be vetted due to concerns of rife corruption
With four weeks left before the G4S contract at the infamous Mangaung Correctional Centre (MCC) comes to an end, a union is fighting to have more than 500 employees absorbed by the state.
The department of correctional services (DCS) has been in talks with the Police and Prisons Civil Rights Union (Popcru) which represents more than 90% of the 507 workers at the Free State facility.
Sowetan understands that another meeting is scheduled to take place tomorrow to further discuss the future of these workers.
The department is faced with a conundrum of understaffing at its prisons while absorbing the Mangaung workers would come with risks. The department will have to match their salaries as they earned higher wages than prison wardens in other facilities.
Popcru spokesperson Richard Mamabolo said the union had been fighting to save the jobs of the workers ahead of the July 31 deadline when G4S is expected to vacate the prison to make way for DCS total take over.
“Our priority right now is save our members’ jobs and the discussion about financial implications to the department when they have hired the G4S workers will be discussed at a later stage once we have reached an agreement,” said Mamabolo.
“These workers were hired by G4S under the Correctional Services Act which means that their scope of work is government by DCS and that they are skilled enough to take over the Mangaung Centre beyond July 31.
“It wouldn’t make sense for the DCS not to hire them because DCS is already understaffed at all their facilities and the guys from Mangaung are familiar with how that prison operates,” he said.
However, DA MPL Adv Glynnis Breytenbach, who sits in the portfolio committee on Justice and Correctional Services, said the G4S officials should not be retained without being vetted.
“The issues of the G4S staff is problematic. It is unclear whether the department of correctional service (DCS) has sufficient or any expertise with regard to running the high tech facility like Mangaung. At the same time, there is an obvious, deeply concerning issue regarding rife corruption within the ranks of the officials at that facility.
“I am not aware of DCS doing anything to mitigate this problem, and I am reasonably sure that they have not done anything proactive in this regard. On the face of it, the G4S officials should not be retained without some form of lifestyle audits and performance management checks,” Breytenbach said.
DCS spokesperson Singabakho Nxumalo did not want to disclose his department’s future plans with G4S employees, saying an announcement would be made in due course.
“There are no changes nor amendments on the 90 days notice of termination issued on May 2 2023. The department is currently busy with takeover processes, which are at an advance stage as July 31 2023 is the last day for the contractor to be at the MCC.
“The department has not received any notice challenging the termination of the concession contract,” said Nxumalo.
While there have been numerous scandals at the MCC, about the torture of inmates and strip-searches of prison warders resulting in a temporary takeover by the department previously, the partnership came crashing down with the orchestrated escape of convicted murderer and rapist, Thabo Bester, which was only confirmed 10 months after he had fled the facility after a burnt body was found n his cell.
Bester and his partner Dr Nandipha Magudumana were arrested in Tanzania in April, nearly a year after the escape.
DCS accused the company of not properly managing the facility and frustrating their internal investigation into the Bester saga.
In May, DCS announced that it would terminate its 22-year-old contract with the multinational company which was given 90 days to vacate the facility.
The contract was meant to officially come to an end in June 2026.
The company was being paid R45m a month and total value of the contract is about R2.6bn.
An employee at MCC said their managers had told them that it was up to DCS to decide what happens with their employment.
“We were told that after the termination of the contract we will not get money for the remaining years [of the original contract] but we will only get benefits until the end of this month. The company said they had requested one month extension from the DCS so they can finish the exiting preparations,” said the employee.
Breytenbach said members of her committee had requested a meeting with DCS before July 31 to discuss G4S exit.
“The department has assured us that they will take over seamlessly but nobody knows what is happening.”
– Additional Reporting Becker Semela
Popcru urges promotions for prison warders, calls for equal pay
G4S vows ‘orderly transition’ as it cuts ties with correctional services
Wheels set to come off for G4S’ prison gravy train
Would you like to comment on this article?
Register (it's quick and free) or sign in now.
Please read our Comment Policy before commenting.
Trending
Related articles
Latest Videos