07/09/2026
Media Statement
*POPCRU North West concerned over Rooigrond escape as dilapidated infrastructure continues to undermine security*
The Police and Prisons Civil Rights Union (POPCRU) in the North West Province has noted with serious concern the escape of an inmate from the Rooigrond Correctional Centre during the early hours of Sunday, 6 September 2026.
POPCRU understands that one inmate escaped from the facility. While the precise circumstances and method through which the inmate escaped must be established through an urgent investigation by the Department of Correctional Services (DCS), this incident cannot be separated from the longstanding infrastructural challenges confronting Rooigrond Correctional Centre.
POPCRU has consistently raised concerns about the deteriorating state of correctional infrastructure and the consequences this has for the safety of our members, inmates and surrounding communities. A correctional centre can only remain secure when the physical infrastructure designed to contain inmates and protect officials is properly maintained and fit for purpose. Dilapidated buildings, compromised security infrastructure and delayed maintenance inevitably increase the risks confronting correctional officials who are expected to maintain security under increasingly difficult conditions.
The concerns at Rooigrond are not new, nor can they simply be dismissed as perceptions raised by organised labour. Parliamentary oversight has previously identified serious challenges at the facility. During an oversight visit to Rooigrond, Parliament's Portfolio Committee on Justice and Correctional Services heard about water shortages caused by clogged pipes and was informed of frustration over the slow pace at which the Department of Public Works and Infrastructure was responding to problems at the centre. Three contractors that had been sourced to address water-supply problems had reportedly had their services terminated because of non-delivery.
More recent reporting by the Judicial Inspectorate for Correctional Services (JICS) paints an equally disturbing picture. Its 2025/26 third-quarter reporting rated Rooigrond Medium A as unsatisfactory and recorded that the centre was housing 788 inmates against approved accommodation for 645, representing approximately 22% overcrowding. JICS further identified dilapidated infrastructure, including broken windowpanes, leaking roofs, poorly maintained ablution facilities and severe water shortages that resulted in reliance on JoJo tanks.
These findings must be taken seriously because infrastructure deterioration and overcrowding are not merely matters of appearance or inmate comfort. They have direct security implications. DCS itself acknowledges in its 2026/27 Annual Performance Plan that ageing and outdated infrastructure, gangsterism and overcrowding exacerbate security incidents in correctional facilities. The Department further acknowledges that infrastructure challenges remain significant nationally, with two correctional facilities not in use because of dilapidation and approximately 80% of facilities at or above capacity.
It is therefore unacceptable that correctional officials should be expected to compensate through human effort for infrastructure that is no longer adequately supporting the security function of correctional facilities. Our members cannot become the human substitute for broken infrastructure, delayed maintenance and years of insufficient investment.
Of further concern is that this is not the first escape incident associated with Rooigrond Medium A. In March 2022, POPCRU condemned the escape of four inmates from the same centre after it was reported that they had cut through window bars and used sheets in escaping through the facility's security perimeter. The occurrence of another escape should therefore compel DCS to determine whether vulnerabilities previously identified were comprehensively addressed and whether the current physical security arrangements remain appropriate for the inmate population housed at the centre.
POPCRU North West cautions strongly against any premature attempt to make individual correctional officials convenient scapegoats before the circumstances surrounding this latest escape have been properly investigated. Accountability is necessary wherever negligence is established, but accountability must apply equally to those responsible for maintaining infrastructure, filling vacancies, providing security equipment and ensuring that correctional centres remain structurally secure.
The investigation must therefore go beyond establishing who was on duty when the inmate escaped. It must establish how the inmate breached the security system; whether any part of the physical infrastructure contributed to the escape; whether the relevant security equipment was functional; whether staffing levels during the shift were adequate; whether established security procedures were followed; and whether previously reported infrastructural defects at the facility had been attended to.
There must also be an immediate security assessment of the entire Rooigrond facility, including cells, windows, doors, locks, perimeter fencing, lighting, surveillance systems and any other infrastructure whose deterioration could potentially facilitate further escapes or compromise the safety of officials.
The Department of Correctional Services and the Department of Public Works and Infrastructure must further provide clear timelines for outstanding maintenance and refurbishment projects at Rooigrond. The practice of repeatedly identifying infrastructure deficiencies through inspections, parliamentary oversight visits and engagements with organised labour without achieving permanent solutions cannot continue indefinitely.
POPCRU has consistently argued that the crisis facing correctional facilities across the country requires a fundamental shift away from reactive maintenance. Nationally, DCS has itself acknowledged the extent of the problem, noting that infrastructure challenges affect security, healthcare, rehabilitation and other core functions within correctional centres.
Correctional officials work in an inherently dangerous environment. They supervise inmates with different security classifications, manage overcrowded facilities, confront gangsterism and contraband, respond to violence and are expected to prevent escapes. The very least the employer can do is provide them with infrastructure and equipment capable of supporting them in carrying out these responsibilities safely.
POPCRU North West therefore calls for the immediate investigation of the circumstances surrounding Sunday's escape; an urgent and comprehensive security and infrastructure assessment at Rooigrond; accelerated repair and refurbishment of compromised infrastructure; an assessment of staffing levels and security equipment; and clear accountability and implementation timelines from both DCS and the Department of Public Works and Infrastructure.
We further call upon law-enforcement agencies to intensify efforts to locate and rearrest the escaped inmate. Members of the public should not attempt to apprehend the individual themselves but should provide any relevant information to the appropriate authorities.
This escape must serve as a warning. Correctional security cannot be maintained indefinitely through the dedication of officials while the physical environment around them continues to deteriorate. Secure correctional centres require secure infrastructure, sufficient personnel and properly resourced officials.
POPCRU North West will closely monitor both the investigation into the escape and the employer's response to the broader infrastructural problems at Rooigrond. We will continue demanding that our members are provided with a safe working environment and will resist any attempt to shift systemic institutional failures onto frontline correctional officials.
Issued by POPCRU North West Province on 07/09/2026
For more information contact Johannes Dire (Provincial Secretary) on 073 240 1784
