Mapaballo Borotho
- Authorities uncovered cash, cellphones, syringes and illegal tuckshops during a raid at Zonderwater Correctional Centre in Tshwane.
- A CIT heist suspect was also found with large quantities of groceries, believed to be linked to illicit trading inside the prison.
- Correctional Services Commissioner Makgothi Thobakgale says such corruption is unacceptable and must be urgently addressed.
Authorities have uncovered large sums of cash, cellphones and syringes during a late-night raid at the Zonderwater Correctional Centre in the City of Tshwane on Thursday.
#Zonderwater: Authorities found cash, cellphones, and syringes at the Zonderwater Correctional Centre in Tshwane during a raid last night.
KJ #KayaNews pic.twitter.com/ezC8zA0K2K
— Kaya News (@KayaNews) December 19, 2025
The operation forms part of intensified efforts by officials to clamp down on crime and corruption within South Africa’s correctional facilities.
During the raid, authorities also discovered an illegal tuckshop operating from inside one of the cells, where items such as Coca-Cola were allegedly being sold to inmates for as much as R30.
In another concerning discovery, a cash-in-transit (CIT) heist suspect was found in possession of a significant stash of groceries.
While the inmate claimed the items were legitimately purchased, Department of Correctional Services (DCS) officials suspect the groceries were intended for use in yet another illicit cell-based tuckshop.
#Zonderwater: A CIT heist suspect is found with a stash of groceries.
He claims he bought the groceries today, however DCS officials suspect this is another cell tuckshop.
The raid continues.
KJ #KayaNews pic.twitter.com/HYYF5OfPJa
— Kaya News (@KayaNews) December 18, 2025
National Commissioner for Correctional Services, Makgothi Thobakgale, said the findings point to serious lapses that must be urgently addressed.
“I am here with the regional commissioner and the head of the centre, and I have indicated to them that they need to address these issues. After each search, I write to them because they must report back to me on the steps taken and account for what has been found,” Thobakgale said.
He added that such discoveries should never occur if systems are functioning properly.
“If we were doing our work correctly, we would not find an offender with five lockers full of groceries or a tuckshop that can service 200 families in the outside world. This offender has effectively become a businessperson inside a correctional facility, and we cannot allow that,” he said.
Thobakgale noted that his ultimate goal is to walk into a correctional centre and find nothing illegal at all.
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