BLOEMFONTEIN, Free State – A major legal showdown is set to unfold at the Labour Court regarding the transition of the former Mangaung Correctional Centre and the employment rights of ex-G4S security personnel. The Police and Correctional Services Union (POPCRU) has initiated urgent legal proceedings against the Department of Correctional Services, alleging statutory breaches in the handling of hundreds of custodial workers following the facility’s recent handover.
The 25-year private management lease for the facility, previously operated by G4S, officially expired in June. The site, now rebranded as the Grootvlei Maximum Correctional Centre, has reverted to state control under the Department of Correctional Services. However, the handover process has triggered a fierce labor dispute centered on Section 197 of the Labour Relations Act, which mandates the automatic transfer of employees when a business changes hands as a “going concern.”
According to a POPCRU spokesperson, the union represents more than 400 former G4S employees who are now caught in the crossfire. The union argues that the Department is blatantly ignoring the Section 197 provisions designed to protect workers during corporate or state transitions.
Instead of automatically absorbing the existing workforce into the state department, officials have allegedly instructed the incumbent staff to formally apply for their current positions. A POPCRU spokesperson strongly condemned the reapplication directive, labeling it an unlawful process and accusing the Department of “bullying” vulnerable workers who are simply trying to retain their livelihoods.
The union maintains that because the Grootvlei facility is being transferred as a going concern, the former G4S staff should have been seamlessly integrated as ongoing Department of Correctional Services employees. Under this legal framework, no worker should have been forced to compete for or reapply for their existing roles.
To halt what they view as an illegal maneuver, the union has escalated the matter with two distinct court applications scheduled for a hearing on July 9. A POPCRU spokesperson confirmed that the legal filings include a primary application to enforce the Section 197 outcome, alongside a contempt application. The union asserts that the Department of Correctional Services has remained entirely intransigent, stubbornly refusing to implement the legal requirements governing the transfer of the correctional center.
As the July 9 court date approaches, POPCRU has firmly vowed to exhaust all legal avenues to secure a favorable resolution for its members, insisting that the former private prison guards must be rightfully absorbed into the state system without facing unlawful employment hurdles.