Category: Africa

The Department of Correctional Services (DCS) has assured Parliament that it is ready to assume full operational responsibility for the Mangaung Correctional Centre from the beginning of next month.

The department’s 25-year public-private partnership with Bloemfontein Correctional Contracts will conclude at the end of June.

“In preparation for the transition, the department has undertaken extensive planning and implementation processes to ensure a seamless transfer of operations.

“The department has presented its operational readiness plans and can confidently affirm that all systems are in place for the successful assumption of responsibility,” the DCS assured in a statement.

The centre will now fall under the Grootvlei Management Area covering the Northern Cape and Free State and will be incorporated into DCS’s operational structure.

“To coordinate the transition, the department established seven dedicated workstreams, each tasked with specific areas of responsibility.

“These workstreams have systematically executed their mandates to ensure uninterrupted service delivery, security and offender management from the first day of the department’s administration,” the statement continued.

A “comprehensive recruitment process” is also underway, aimed at strengthening staff capacity.

“A total of 668 centre-based posts, including professional, specialist and artisan positions, were advertised on 17 April 2026, with the recruitment and selection process expected to be finalised by 30 June 2026. A total of 76 officials have already assumed duty at Mangaung Correctional Centre.

“In addition, 60 Emergency Support Team officials have been identified, trained, and deployed to conduct a comprehensive gang profiling exercise at Mangaung Correctional Centre as part of strengthening security and ensuring a stable correctional environment,” the statement read.

The department noted legal processes underway relating to a Labour Court judgment concerning the “transfer of employees currently employed by G4S at Mangaung Correctional Centre”.

In April this year, the court ruled that the department must absorb at least 500 workers after the termination of G4S’s contract.

The private security company attracted infamy when rapist and murderer Thabo Bester escaped from custody at the Mangaung facility while it was running the prison.

“The department has exercised its right to appeal the judgment, and the matter remains subject to legal processes.

“The department further confirms that all offenders accommodated at Mangaung Correctional Centre have approved Correctional Sentence Plans in place and that all inmates currently remain classified as maximum-security offenders.

“Appropriate offender management systems have been reviewed and aligned to ensure continuity and compliance with departmental standards,” the statement concluded. – SAnews.gov.za

The Western Cape Education Department has announced the temporary closure of all public ordinary and special needs schools in the Eden and Central Karoo Education Districts on Wednesday and Thursday due to severe weather conditions forecast for the region.

The decision was taken in the interests of learner and teacher safety following consultations with the Provincial Disaster Management Centre. Authorities cited heavy rainfall warnings issued for the affected areas as the primary reason for the precautionary measure.

The department said the affected schools in the two districts have received official notification of the closure from the Head of Department and have been instructed to inform parents and guardians accordingly.

The department emphasised that the closure applies only to schools within the Eden and Central Karoo Education Districts.

“All other schools in the Western Cape will be open, unless approval has been granted for closure, which will be done on a case-by-case basis,” the department said in a statement.

Education authorities reiterated that their preferred approach is to keep schools operational wherever possible.

“Our default position is always to keep schools open and only close schools in exceptional circumstances, but we are mindful of the severity of the warnings in place,” the department said.

All affected schools are expected to reopen on Friday, 5 June.

The department said it will continue to closely monitor weather developments and assess conditions on an ongoing basis.

“If any further individual school closures are necessary after Thursday, communication will be sent to the parents of the affected schools directly.”

McGregor Bridge reopening delayed by at least two months

Meanwhile, Motorists and residents awaiting the reopening of the McGregor Bridge will have to wait at least two more months after engineers uncovered significant structural damage during ongoing repair work.

In a road closure update issued by the Western Cape Department of Infrastructure on Wednesday, substantial damage had been discovered at the bridge’s ear walls during the repair process.

“Following structural engineering assessments, it was determined that these would need to be rebuilt before other works can continue. This means that the reopening to traffic is set back by at least two months, but safety remains our first priority,” the department said.

To ensure some level of access for residents and pedestrians, the department said temporary pedestrian access will remain in place in the interim, while reconstruction work continues.

The department has committed to providing regular updates as repairs progress and additional assessments are completed.

The McGregor Bridge has been undergoing repairs following damage that necessitated its closure, during severe weather that devastated parts of the province early last month. – SAnews.gov.za

The South African Law Reform Commission (SALRC) has issued a call for entries for this year’s Legal Essay Writing Competition.

The competition is aimed at young legal minds pursuing LLB or LLM qualifications in South Africa.

“[From] this season onwards and for the next five years of the competition, the Legal Essay Writing Competition will be dedicated to honour the late Justice Yvonne Mokgoro’s distinguished contribution to constitutional jurisprudence, human rights, transformation and the advancement of justice in South Africa,” the commission said.

Mokgoro, who died in 2024, boasted an illustrious legal career, which included her appointment as South Africa’s first black female justice of the Constitutional Court in 1994 – a position she held for some 15 years.

“Drawing on the inspirational legacy of Justice Yvonne Mokgoro, the SALRC, in partnership with sponsors Juta and Company, invites law students studying towards an LLB or LLM at a South African university to submit their innovative ideas reflecting how law reform has contributed to South Africa’s democracy in celebration of 30 years of democracy.

“Join the ranks of legal scholars destined to play a future role in shaping South Africa’s evolving jurisprudence by entering this prestigious competition and stand a chance of winning prizes,” the commission said.

Essays are due on 31 July 2026 at midnight and should be submitted to Reform@justice.gov.za and copy ADzebu@justice.gov.za. – SAnews.gov.za

Police in KwaZulu-Natal have issued a stern warning to residents to refrain from posting, distributing and sharing voice messages or social media posts, commenting on social media posts, or making statements on any public platform that promote violence or destruction of property.

According to the South African Police Service (SAPS), KwaZulu-Natal has been experiencing a wave of marches, and although the marches have largely been peaceful, police have noted social media posts and public statements made by certain individuals, which have the potential of inciting violence and lawlessness during planned marches.

“Members of the public are reminded to take note of Section 14 of the Cybercrimes Act, Act No. 19 of 2020, which says that any person who discloses, by means of an electronic communications service, a data message to a person, group of persons or the general public, with the intention to incite the causing of any damage to property belonging to or violence against a person or a group of persons, is guilty of an offence,” the police said in a statement.

Police in KwaZulu-Natal have successfully used this section of the Act to charge Philani Ronnie Gumede, who was a member of Operation Dudula in March 2022.

After distributing inflammatory voice note promoting the chasing away of foreign nationals out of Durban, entering into their shops, salons and their workplaces, the court found him guilty and was sentenced to a fine of R10 000 or three years’ direct imprisonment.

“The right to march is protected in the Constitution of the Republic of South Africa, however such a right comes with the responsibility to be exercised within the confines of the law, and in consideration of the rights of others. 

“Police are monitoring the public space and cybercrimes officers will be profiling posts and statements that are deemed to be inciting violence.

“Police have already made pronouncements that the planners of the 30 June 2026 march have promised peaceful demonstrations. Police will however, deploy accordingly pre, during and post 30 June 2026 to ensure stability, peace and order,” the police said.

The police warns that anyone who will be found to be breaking the law will be dealt with in accordance with the law without fear, favour or prejudice. – SAnews.gov.za   

Eskom says it is advancing its forensic investigations backlog project with the issuing of an Invitation to Tender/Request for Proposal for the provision of forensic and anti-corruption services.

The selected panel of service providers will be expected to begin work at the power utility from September this year for a period of 18 months.

“Over the past years, the accumulation of legacy forensic matters has increased the volume of outstanding cases, constraining the organisation’s ability to conclude investigations and disciplinary processes within optimal timeframes and demonstrate effective consequence management.

“To address the backlog of cases, the forensic investigation function is implementing an intervention through the appointment of a panel of external service providers with the requisite expertise and capacity to accelerate case resolution,” Eskom explained in a statement.

The appointed panel will be expected to have skills including:

• Conducting digital forensics.
• The capacity to apply data analytics and artificial intelligence polygraph services.
• Handwriting analysis and document analysis.

“While Eskom maintains internal forensic capability, the scale and specialised nature of legacy cases require additional external expertise to support accelerated delivery.

“Multiple contracts will be awarded to multiple suppliers with a minimum of eight and a maximum of ten service providers, with work allocated on an equal distribution basis to ensure accelerated case resolution and optimal resource utilisation.

“All appointments will be conducted in line with Eskom’s procurement processes to ensure fairness, transparency, and compliance with applicable regulatory requirements,” the statement continued.

The move to appoint the panel is aimed at strengthening efforts to “strengthen governance and accelerate consequence management across the organisation”.

“Eskom’s forensic investigation function is a critical component of the organisation’s governance, assurance and consequence management framework. It plays a central role in safeguarding organisational integrity, strengthening accountability, and sustaining public, stakeholder, and shareholder confidence.

“Eskom operates on a co-sourced model in that all reported allegations are either investigated internally or by the appointed external service providers,” the statement explained.

The tender information can be found in the tender bulletin at https://tenderbulletin.eskom.co.za/tender/95186 while the closing date 23 June 2026 at 10am South African time. – SAnews.gov.za