As the Department of Correctional Services prepares to take over the management of the Mangaung Correctional Centre in Bloemfontein next month, it has instituted vetting of all personnel, including contract workers, at the facility.
In May, the department severed ties with security company G4S that managed the centre, which is the prison Thabo Bester escaped from last year.
It announced plans to take over the management of the prison after 90 days following the termination of the contract.
Justice and Correctional Services Minister Ronald Lamola said his department has since embarked on a project to conduct vetting of the correctional centre personnel, including contractors and staff members.
“A total of 507 staff and 57 contractors personnel suitability checks (PSC) were conducted and processed,” Lamola said.
He said the PSC included criminal record checks, qualification verification, financial record checks, property checks and directorship checks.
Lamola was responding in writing to parliamentary questions from IFP MP Themba Msimang.
Bester, who was convicted of rape and murder, escaped from the Mangaung Correctional Centre on May 3, last year.
This was after a body believed to be his was found burnt in a single cell and a doctor certified him dead.
This happened days after he had asked to be moved to a single cell for his safety when he could not pay protection fees to the 26 gangsters.
Responding to DA MP Janho Engelbrecht, Lamola said the department’s national commissioner was informed on March 22 that the body found in the cell where Bester was supposedly in was not his.
He said the notification was received from the director for contract management.
“The notification was received by means of a written investigation report on the escape of the mentioned offender,” Lamola said.
Lamola also said as soon as the department discovered Bester escaped from custody, the matter was reported to the SAPS for investigation.
A case of escape was opened with the SAPS on January 12 and a track and tracing team was put together to re-arrest Bester, who was caught in Tanzania months later.
Cape Times