Pollsmoor Correctional Facility faces scrutiny after inmate release errors

National Commissioner Makgothi Samuel Thobakgale announced a management intervention at Pollsmoor Correctional Facility following serious security breaches and has placed extra hands on deck. 

Incidents like the erroneous release of John Henry Mpelo, the mistaken release of Inganathi Daba, and Jordan Adams assuming a false identity highlighted systemic vulnerabilities in warrant verification, inmate identification, and record management. 

While all offenders were re-arrested, these lapses undermine public confidence and the criminal justice system, the Minister said.

“We have convened this briefing at Pollsmoor Correctional Facility to address a matter of utmost  importance, the stability, security, and integrity of one of South Africa’s largest and most strategically  positioned correctional centres,” Thobakgale said while addressing the media on Monday at Pollsmoor Prison.

He said in recent months, Pollsmoor prison experienced a series of serious security breaches that exposed  weaknesses in the management of warrants, court appearances, and inmate identification processes. 

“These incidents cannot be taken lightly, as they have the potential to undermine public confidence in the  correctional system and compromise the broader criminal justice value chain,” he added.

He cited that these include the erroneous release of remand detainee John Henry Mpelo due  to failures in verifying warrants, the mistaken release of Inganathi “Thembalethu” Daba under another detainee’s identity, and the case of Jordan Adams, who exploited weaknesses in record management to  assume a false identity. 

“While all three offenders were subsequently re-arrested, these breaches point  to deep systemic vulnerabilities in fingerprint verification, record reconciliation, and overall operational  discipline. Investigations are underway, and there will be accountability and consequences for those  found to have neglected their duties, Thobakgale detailed.

“It is against this backdrop that, as the National Commissioner, I have resolved to introduce a  management intervention at Pollsmoor Correctional Facility. 

“To drive this process, Mashaba and Mafukata have been appointed with immediate effect. Their mandate is to institute corrective measures, restore stability, and strengthen management practices at the facility. With extensive experience in the  Department, the two have also been investigating various incidents with success across the Western Cape Region.

Pollsmoor is one of South Africa’s big five correctional facilities, strategically located to service numerous  courts in the Cape Town metropole and surrounding districts.

“We cannot afford to allow breaches of this magnitude to continue unchecked. This intervention  is therefore not only necessary, but non-negotiable,” he expressed.

The intervention comes as Mayor Geordin Hill-Lewis said prisoners do not have the right to unfettered communication beyond prison walls following his calls for cellphone signal jamming at Pollsmoor Prison.

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