EFF accuses Correctional Services of defying Labour Court order over former G4S workers

According to The Citizen, the Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) say the Department of Correctional Services (DCS) is ignoring a Labour Court order that requires the reinstatement of hundreds of former G4S employees at the Mangaung Correctional Centre, leaving staff without pay or certainty.

What the EFF says

The EFF’s Sam Matlatse wrote to the Minister of Correctional Services, Pieter Groenewald, after a Labour Court judgment on 17 August 2026 dismissed the department’s appeal against an earlier ruling. Matlatse said nearly 200 former G4S employees were left without salaries, retrenchment letters or certainty after the state takeover of the facility, and that the department’s inaction had left workers and their families facing severe socio‑economic hardship.

Labour Court findings

The Labour Court earlier found that the DCS takeover of the Mangaung Correctional Centre constituted a transfer under section 197 of the Labour Relations Act. That ruling meant affected G4S employees were due to transfer to the DCS on 1 July. The court refused the department’s urgent application to suspend the order on 18 June and later refused leave to appeal, with Judge Tapiwa Gandidze ruling that the state had no reasonable prospects of success.

Department’s recruitment process

Instead of absorbing all former G4S staff automatically, the department ran a public recruitment process that allowed hundreds of former employees to apply for positions.

Political pressure and demands

Matlatse demanded clarity from the minister on whether and when the department intends to reinstate the workers, or on what legal grounds it might refuse to comply with the court order. He described the matter as urgent and asked for an expedited reply, saying the delay affected not only the employees’ livelihoods but also their families.

According to The Citizen, EFF members serving on the Correctional Services Portfolio Committee, including Nontando Nolutshungu, have repeatedly raised the workers’ plight and cited their inability to honour debts and the financial strain caused by unemployment.

Next steps

The Citizen has reached out to DCS for comment on the letter.