More than 100,000 cellphones smuggled into prisons by guards, Madlanga Commission hears - IOL

Correctional Services head Makgothi Thobakgale, said contrabands were smuggled by guards in prisons.

Correctional Services Commissioner Makgothi Thobakgale said a total of 102,720 cellphones were seized in prisons between 2023 and 2026 after allegedly being brought in by guards and officials.

Thobakgale told the Madlanga Commission on Thursday that not only were cellphones confiscated during the period, but also 158,137 cellphone accessories, 59,788 sharpened objects, drugs valued at 657,801.71 and more than R1 million in cash.

He described contraband as a central driver of an illicit prison economy that fuels criminal activity inside correctional centres and strengthens links between incarcerated offenders and criminal networks outside.

“The principal enabler of continued criminal activity in prison is the illicit economy that has developed around contraband including mobile phones, money market, cash, narcotics, weapons and alcohol,” Thobakgale said.

“It has been established that certain officials of the Department contribute to the smuggling of contrabands reflected above.”

According to Thobakgale, gangs have established internal power structures within correctional facilities, creating security risks that can extend beyond prison walls.

He said the smuggling networks displayed characteristics associated with organised crime, involving procurement, payment, transportation and delivery, with cash-send and money-market systems increasingly used to facilitate transactions.

“This smuggling bears the hallmarks of organised crime,” he said.

He added that the networks generate proceeds, sustain syndicates and strengthen relationships between gangs inside and outside correctional facilities.

Cellphones, he said, were particularly dangerous because they allow incarcerated offenders to maintain contact with the outside world despite being prohibited inside correctional centres.

“Incarcerated offenders use them to direct criminal operations, coordinate drug distribution, orchestrate the intimidation or assassination of witnesses and officials, and facilitate fraud against members of the public,” he said.

Thobakgale said the prison contraband market also reflected the criminal economies surrounding individual facilities.

Cannabis, he said, was more prevalent in areas where it was widely produced, while drugs such as methamphetamine, methaqualone, heroin-based compounds and crack cocaine circulated according to local demand.

Thobakgale also highlighted the Makaota gang, which he said dates back to the 1940s and has links to extortion, contract killings and the mining sector, including cross-border connections involving Lesotho and Botswana and more recent links to illegal mining networks.

He cited the existence of contract-killing capacity elsewhere, including “hammermen” associated with gangs in the Western Cape and izinkabi operating in KwaZulu-Natal (KZN).

The commissioner also told the commission that some correctional officials had allegedly assisted inmates in escaping, citing Edward Madiba as an example.

Thobakgale has since concluded his testimony before the commission.