Drakenstein prison: South Africa's facility with the most disciplinary cases
During the last financial year, 65 disciplinary cases were registered in the Drakenstein Correctional Centre management area - the highest number in the country.
Image: File
Drakenstein Correctional Centre, near Paarl, has recorded the highest number of disciplinary cases in South Africa, at 65 disciplinary cases over the past financial year.
This was confirmed by Parliament's Portfolio Committee on Correctional Services, following its oversight visit to the facility on Tuesday.
The cases were recorded from the start of April 2025 to the end of March 2026.
Committee chairperson, Kgomotso Ramolobeng, said additionally, ahigh number of suspensions of officials linked to disciplinary cases in the management area is a cause for concern.
“This is a significant number of disciplinary cases. The figure is extremely high and may point to management failures or a lack of effective systems.
"We previously urged the national commissioner to focus on the Drakenstein Management Area, and this confirms why,” said Ramolobeng.
She noted that nationally, the Department of Correctional Services recorded 130 such cases, making Drakenstein the largest contributor.
The Drakenstein Management Area includes the Maximum Section, Maximum A Section, Maximum B Section, and Stellenbosch Correctional Centre.
She added that the committee had resolved at the start of its term to prioritise physical oversight visits to correctional facilities.
To date, the committee has visited Gauteng, KwaZulu-Natal, Eastern Cape, Western Cape, and Limpopo, and recently conducted oversight visits in Mpumalanga.
Beyond the disciplinary cases, the committee identified several operational issues during its visit.
Equipment failures were noted in both the kitchen and bakery, where some machinery is not functioning.
The bakery, which produces about 1 500 loaves of bread daily for multiple centres, was commended despite these challenges.
“This is commendable and contributes to self-sustainability. It is also an effective cost-cutting measure for the department. However, we observed that two of the three mixers are not functioning and one oven is also broken," said Ramolobeng.
Concerns were also raised about contraband, with 634 cellphones and 595 mandrax tablets confiscated during the past financial year.
Overcrowding remains a major issue, with the facility housing 1 851 inmates despite having capacity for 1 361. Among those are 227 mental healthcare users.
The committee further flagged the practice of serving lunch and dinner together, noting that it does not comply with standard operating procedures.
The committee said it also received a preliminary report on the death of an inmate in March, with investigations still ongoing and early indications pointing to possible gang-related causes.
Due to time constraints, not all areas of the facility were inspected, and the committee has indicated that it will return for a follow-up visit to assess progress.
The response of the Department of Correctional Services will be included once received.