The video prompted National Commissioner of Correctional Services Makgothi Samuel Thobakgale to order an urgent search of the unit where the inmates featured in the footage were being held.
Department of Correctional Services
1Min
South Africa
Contraband haul exposes serious security breach at Kgosi Mampuru II prison
A viral video showing inmates dancing and playing music inside Kgosi Mampuru II Correctional Facility has triggered an urgent security operation, uncovering cellphones, drugs, weapons and other unauthorised items.
The Department of Correctional Services (DCS) has launched an investigation into a major security breach at Kgosi Mampuru II Correctional Facility after a video showing inmates dancing and playing music inside the prison circulated on social media.
The video prompted National Commissioner of Correctional Services Makgothi Samuel Thobakgale to order an urgent search of the unit where the inmates featured in the footage were being held.
The operation uncovered a significant haul of contraband, raising questions about how prohibited items entered the correctional facility.
Among the items confiscated were five cellphones, three routers, a laptop, two bank cards, 11 chargers and three USB devices.
Officials also seized 16 packets of illicit cigarettes, five balls of dagga, 194 Mandrax tablets, two hacksaw blades and various sharp objects.
The department said the nature and quantity of the items recovered highlighted the seriousness of the security breaches it was now working to address.
Inmates face disciplinary action
The inmates identified in the video, as well as those found in possession of contraband, will face internal disciplinary proceedings in line with the applicable regulations.
Their conduct could also affect assessments relating to their correctional placement, privileges and other considerations, subject to the relevant procedures.
The department said it would investigate the circumstances surrounding the incident, including how the electronic device used to record the video and other prohibited items were smuggled into the facility.
Officials will also investigate whether any correctional officers were involved or negligent.
The DCS said appropriate action would be taken if wrongdoing was established.
Officials also under investigation
The incident has placed the security controls at one of the country's major correctional facilities under scrutiny.
The department said removing illegal and unauthorised items from correctional centres remained a key priority under Commissioner Thobakgale's leadership.
It said intensified searches and security operations were being implemented to ensure correctional facilities remained free of contraband and activities that undermine the department's mandate.
Thobakgale also warned that offenders and officials would not be allowed to undermine the integrity of the correctional system.
“Maintaining discipline across all correctional facilities remains cardinal,” the department said.
The investigation will now seek to establish how the contraband entered the facility and whether anyone inside the correctional system helped inmates obtain access to the prohibited items.
The department said no individual, whether an offender or an official, would be allowed to undermine security protocols with impunity.
