A post-mortem found the inmates death was caused by complications from pepper spray exposure and blunt force trauma after being assaulted allegedly by prison officials.
The Department of Correctional Services (DCS) said seven prison officials at the controversial, privately run G4S Mangaung Correctional Centre in the Free State have been suspended following the murder of an inmate.
Mpho Mkhumbeni was serving a life sentence for murder and died on 12 March, following an unauthorised raid of his cell in the prison where he was pepper-sprayed and beaten the night before.
He was then rushed to the internal prison hospital, where he died.
‘Interrogation and assault’
DCS spokesperson Singabakho Nxumalo said after receiving conflicting reports of Mkhumbeni’s death, the department launched a full-scale investigation into the matter.
Nxumalo said a member of the dedicated search (DST) team accused Mkhumbeni and his cellmates of stealing R800 from his bag, which he forgot in the cell following the raid.
“During this return visit, the four inmates in the cell were interrogated, allegedly assaulted, and tortured over the missing money. These claims were initially denied by the DST officials and the contractor.
“A sanctioned post-mortem examination concluded that inmate Mkhumbeni’s death was unnatural, caused by complications from pepper spray exposure and blunt force trauma, resulting in a formal classification of the case as murder,” Nxumalo said.
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Investigations
Nxumalo added that following the investigations, an inquest case was initially opened by the South African Police Service, which was later converted into a murder case.
“In essence, senior managers, who were required to provide oversight during and after the search, failed to intervene or report the assault.”
He said the senior managers claims of not witnessing the incident lacked credibility.
“Even more concerning, G4S and its employees sought to conceal the truth and obscure the investigation. This is viewed in a serious light as it is tantamount to defeating the ends of justice.”
“While G4S had begun suspending the officials involved, managers remained in active operations. This prompted the temporary manager to take deliberate and bold steps, advising the controller to exercise his authority by withdrawing the operational certificate of the director of operations,” Nxumalo said.
Others suspended include the manager of operations, a security supervisor, and five DST officials.
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Mangaung concerns after Bester’s escape
Nxumalo said this incident underscored ongoing concerns regarding the management of Mangaung Correctional Centre.
He said DCS is currently engaged in legal proceedings concerning the termination of the 22-year contract with Bloemfontein Correctional Contracts (BCC), which contracted G4S to run Mangaung Correctional Centre’s daily operations.
The termination followed the case of ‘Facebook Rapist” Thabo Bester, whose escape from the prison in May 2022 was exposed in 2023, after faking his own death with alleged assistance from prison officials.
Nxumalo said in the meantime, the temporary manager continues to monitor contractor operations, identifying and addressing areas that require immediate attention.
Comment from G4S will be added when received.
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