The Portfolio Committee on Correctional Services conducted an oversight visit to the facility on Thursday.
Image: Freepik / File
The Portfolio Committee on Correctional Services has expressed serious concern about the conditions and operations at the Bethal Correctional Centre in Mpumalanga.
The Committee cited a high vacancy rate and the alarming volume of contraband confiscated during a recent raid as its concerns.
Committee chairperson, Kgomotso Anthea Ramolobeng, led an inspection in loco at the Bethal facility on Thursday as part of the committee’s week-long oversight visit to correctional facilities in Mpumalanga.
The inspection included visits to randomly selected areas of service in the facility, including the kitchen, medical unit, dispensary, hospital, and cells, to assess conditions and engage directly with inmates.
“The committee was informed that the Bethal facility has 40 vacant posts out of a staff establishment of 205 funded posts. The committee heard that 35 of these positions are within the security and case management sections. The facility is badly overcrowded; 1,292 inmates are accommodated in a space that is supposed to accommodate 765 inmates,” Ramolobeng said.
During a raid in December 2025, officials confiscated numerous prohibited items that included 40 cell phones, 30 chargers, 26 units of crystal meth, 25 packets of nyaope, two dagga balls, and six bank cards in the male section.
In the female section, items seized included three pairs of scissors, eight razors, one charger, one syringe, eight sharp objects, three needles, and R8 in cash.
“The committee is highly disturbed by the reports of smuggling and the large quantities of contraband confiscated during raids. The facility does not have a scanner, which in our view makes it easier to smuggle prohibited items,” Ramolobeng said.
She also noted security shortcomings at the facility, as there is no proper perimeter fencing. Ramalobeng said the facility’s proximity to residential areas creates an opportunity for members of the public to throw contraband into the facility.
She called for strong action and vigilance to strengthen security at the facility.
Ramolobeng emphasised the need for urgent intervention, echoing a call by Deputy Minister of Correctional Services, Lindiwe Ntshalintshali, for the facility to be included in ongoing unannounced raids led by the National Commissioner, Makgothi Thobakgale.
The committee also raised concerns over the negative implications of staff shortages on the welfare of inmates.
“During our visit to the women’s section, inmates told us that they receive only two meals a day instead of three. This was confirmed by management, which attributed it to staff shortages. This is unacceptable, provision of meals cannot be in this manner,” Ramaboleng said.
Concerns were also raised about the state of kitchen equipment, which includes a freezer and a cold room that are not functioning, as well as several cooking pots that are unusable in a facility with a high inmate population.
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