Repairs progressing well at Kutama Sinthumule Correctional Centre

LIMPOPO – The national commissioner of the Department of Correctional Services, Makgothi Thobakgale, visited the Kutama Sinthumule Correctional Centre (KSCC) outside Louis Trichardt before Christmas to inspect its state of readiness to re-admit prisoners after a violent riot last year resulted in damage to the facility.

The prison had to be refurbished, following a fire that broke out during riots on August 7. Thobakgale’s inspection aimed to check the quality of workmanship in the refurbishment of the kitchen, maintenance section and the blue and green sections of the facility.

Three prisoners died during the riot, while another 18 were injured in the fire which was purportedly started by inmates who demanded to be transferred to other prisons. The prison housed 1 892 inmates who were transferred to other prisons around South Africa after the fire.

The Kutama Sinthumule Correctional Centre operates as a government and private partnership (SACM) centre, with the contract ending in 2026. After the contract expires, the government will take ownership of the prison, Thobakgale confirmed.

“We are here to inspect the repairs, but the work has not yet been completed. The programme that the contractor gave us indicated that by mid-November next year, they would have completed repairs to the yellow and blue facilities. As it stands, they are still working on those facilities.”

Thobakgale did not elaborate on the work that still needs to be done but reiterated that once completed, it will comply with industry standards. “It should be safe, functional, and perform at the level it was before the institution suffered this damage.”