The Police and Prisons Civil Rights Union (POPCRU) notes, welcomes, and emphatically celebrates the landmark judgement handed down by the Labour Court on 30 April 2026—just a day before the historic commemoration of May Day, International Workers’ Day. This is not a coincidence of timing; it is a powerful and symbolic reaffirmation that the struggle of workers, when organised and resolute, yields victory.
The Court has decisively ruled that the termination of the concession contract relating to the Mangaung Correctional Centre, and the subsequent assumption of control by the Department of Correctional Services (DCS), constitutes a transfer in terms of section 197 of the Labour Relations Act. This means, in clear and unambiguous terms, that all workers employed under G4S will automatically transfer to the Department of Correctional Services, with their jobs protected.
This judgement strikes at the very heart of what POPCRU has consistently warned against: the reckless commodification of correctional services and the outsourcing of a core constitutional function to private profit-driven entities. For years, we have raised the alarm that the privatisation of prisons undermines accountability, weakens labour protections, and places profit before rehabilitation and public safety. Today, the Court has affirmed, in substance, that the State cannot abdicate its responsibility, nor can workers be treated as disposable casualties in contractual transitions.
Let it be stated without hesitation: this is a victory for POPCRU. It is a victory forged through relentless struggle, through principled opposition to job losses, and through our unwavering commitment to defend the dignity of workers in the criminal justice system. At every stage, POPCRU has maintained that any transition must protect workers, must respect labour laws, and must place the public interest above corporate interests. The Court has now vindicated this position.
The ruling further confirms that the employees of G4S will not be thrown into the cold uncertainty of unemployment, but will instead be absorbed into the DCS. This is a decisive rejection of any attempt to retrench workers under the guise of contractual changes. It is a reminder that workers are not commodities to be discarded when profit margins shift—they are human beings whose livelihoods must be protected.
POPCRU has long called for the full insourcing of privately run correctional facilities, and this judgement strengthens our call: the Department of Correctional Services must take over all private prisons in South Africa. The Mangaung development must not be treated as an isolated incident, but as a policy direction—a necessary correction in the governance of correctional services. The State must reclaim its mandate fully, decisively, and without hesitation.
We therefore issue a firm and unequivocal call to the Minister of Justice and Correctional Services and the National Commissioner of Correctional Services: do not challenge this judgement. Any attempt to appeal or delay its implementation will be viewed as an attack on workers, an attack on labour rights, and an attempt to reverse a hard-won victory. The path forward is clear—implement the judgement in full, ensure a smooth transition of workers, and begin the process of systematically ending the privatisation of prisons.
This judgement comes at a critical moment, on the eve of May Day—a day that reminds us of the sacrifices made by workers across generations. It is a fitting tribute to those struggles that today, workers at Mangaung can look to the future with certainty rather than fear. It is proof that when workers stand united, when unions remain vigilant, and when the struggle is sustained, victory is not only possible—it is inevitable.
POPCRU will continue to monitor the implementation of this judgement closely. We will not hesitate to act should there be any attempt to undermine the rights of workers during the transition process. Our position remains firm: no job losses, no erosion of conditions of service, and no compromise on the dignity of workers.
This is more than a legal victory—it is a political and ideological breakthrough. It reaffirms the principle that public services must serve the people, not profit. It strengthens the hand of those who fight for a just, equitable, and worker-centred society.
As we enter May Day, we do so with renewed energy, with strengthened resolve, and with the clear understanding that the struggle continues—but today, we celebrate a victory.
Aluta continua!
Issued by POPCRU