After repairs following inmate revolt, KSCC close to being fully operational again

JOHANNESBURG - Almost a year after a maximum prison in Limpopo was torched by inmates, the facility is due to start operating at full capacity.

In August last year, inmates led a revolt at Kutama-Sinthumule Correctional Centre (KSCC), a maximum prison in Makhado, Limpopo, torching large portions of the facility.

In an exclusive report following the fire, EWN detailed how inmates had submitted a memorandum to prison management citing their grievances around allegations of maladministration and corruption.

Kutama-Sinthumule Correctional Centre is only the second prison in the country being privately managed.

American prisons company, the GEO Group, is contracted to run and manage the maximum facility until 2027.

It’s taken a year and more than R100 million to fix the prison following a fire started by aggrieved inmates.

"As it stands, already R153 million has been spent on repairing the facility," said Correctional Services National Commissioner Samuel Thobakgale.

He said that in the coming days, all the offenders that needed to be moved to other facilities across the country would return.

"The facility is currently operating but not at full capacity. At the end of July, we will ensure it operates at full capacity."

Prior to the fire, Kutama housed just over 3,000 high-risk offenders.