According to figures released by the Minister of Justice and Correctional Services, Michael Masutha, Grootvlei Medium A facility is able to accommodate 890 prisoners, but currently holds 1532 prisoners, while the Groenpunt Maximum Prison is supposed to accommodate 1418, but currently hold 1916. The Grootvlei Medium B and Groenpunt Medium facilities, on the other hand, are accommodating less than the maximum number of prisoners the facilities can hold.

The two overcrowded facilities aren’t the biggest prisons in the province, from a capacity perspective. The notorious, private Mangaung Correctional Facility, also in Bloemfontein, holds the most number of prisoners in the province, at close to 3000. The private maximum security prison which was built, maintained and is run by the consortium, Bloemfontein Correctional Contracts (BCC) formed by the multinational security company, G4S, and four other stakeholders have long been marred by allegations of gross human rights violations, including electro-shocking and assault.

Despite this, it is not affected by the overcrowding issues that affect the state prisons run by the Department of Correctional Services. OFM News had previously reported that the prisoner numbers at Grootvlei’s Medium A facility have been greatly impacted by the number of state patients that have been accommodated there while the Free State Psychiatric Complex’s Forensic ward is being renovated.

In a report to delegates from the National Council of Provinces at the end of August 2018, the Department of Correctional Services said the renovations at the Bloemfontein Psychiatric Complex would be completed in September.

OFM News