The Department of Correctional Services has deployed a national management team to take control of the Pollsmoor Correctional Facility in Tokai, following what officials describe as a series of serious security failures, including the mistaken release of multiple prisoners.
The intervention was announced by National Correctional Services Commissioner Makgothi Thobakgale, who stated that the move was necessary to address a breakdown in management systems at the facility. The specific incidents that prompted the takeover include the erroneous releases of three different detainees.
According to the department, the erroneously released individuals were remand detainees who were released under another detainee’s identity. In a third case, an inmate exploited weaknesses in the facility’s record management to assume a false identity and secure a release.
Commissioner Thobakgale confirmed that all three offenders have since been rearrested. However, the frequency of the breaches raised immediate alarms.
“The management intervention is aimed at ensuring that Pollsmoor remains secure, stable and capable of discharging its responsibilities effectively,” a department statement read.
To lead the intervention, Commissioner Thobakgale has appointed officials Mr. Mashaba and Mr. Mafukat, who will effectively take over management at the head of center level for the remand facility.
Emphasizing the gravity of the situation, the Commissioner stated, “The facility where we experienced two erroneous releases within a period of two weeks… one erroneous release is one too many. Now if you experience two in a period of two weeks, it means that there’s a problem of the breaking down of management systems, governance and practices at a correctional facility.”
The national management team is now tasked with stabilizing Pollsmoor, one of the country’s largest correctional centers, and rectifying the systemic failures that led to the unprecedented security lapses.
