Former Mangaung Correctional Centre staff seek assistance from Correctional Services

AI-summarized · Neutrality-checked

Nearly 200 former G4S employees at the Mangaung Correctional Centre, now renamed Grootvlei Maximum Correctional Centre, are seeking state assistance after the Department of Correctional Services (DCS) failed to absorb them following the state takeover of the facility on 1 July. Although the Labour Court ruled on 30 April and again on 17 August 2026 that the takeover constituted a transfer of business under section 197 of the Labour Relations Act, the DCS did not automatically reinstate the staff, choosing instead to conduct a public recruitment process. EFF MP Sam Matlatse has formally requested that Minister of Correctional Services Pieter Groenewald clarify the department's non-compliance with these court rulings. The impasse remains unresolved, leaving the affected workers without salaries or clarity regarding their employment status.

Consequences

Continued refusal by the DCS to comply with the Labour Court rulings may result in further legal challenges or escalations from the EFF and affected workers regarding their socio-economic hardship. The department faces mounting pressure to address its non-compliance with judicial mandates, which currently leaves hundreds of workers in financial limbo.

Sources

Know where. Know why.