Thousands of cellphones and R100k cash seized in prison raids during festive season

The department of correctional services (DCS) has released the results of its Operation Vala festive season initiative, revealing a massive haul of contraband across South Africa’s prisons.

The operation, conducted in December and January, is an annual initiative designed to bolster security during the festive period.

National commissioner for correctional services Makgothi Samuel Thobakgale briefed the media on Monday, detailing the operation’s outcomes and providing updates on security investigations in the Western Cape.

—  Makgothi Samuel Thobakgale, national commissioner for correctional services

A total of 5,592 searches were conducted nationwide. Thobakgale noted that these operations required sustained effort, with 59,310 correctional officials participating in multiple deployments over the two-month period.

The Gauteng and Western Cape regions were the busiest hubs, accounting for 56% of all searches conducted nationally.

The department reported zero escapes during the duration of the operation.

The intensified searches yielded a staggering number of illicit items:

Cellphones: 8,063 devices were seized. Gauteng was the primary hotspot, accounting for 2,321 devices.

Sharpened objects: 3,144 weapons and shanks were removed. The Eastern Cape, Free State, and Northern Cape recorded the highest volumes of these dangerous items.

• Cash: A total of R102,726 in illicit currency was recovered. Gauteng led with R37,193, followed by the Eastern Cape with R28,379.
• Drugs: Officials seized over 46kg of loose dagga, along with thousands of “slopes” and “blades” (pre-rolled units).
• Narcotics: 1,012 Mandrax tablets were confiscated in the Western Cape alone, with another 199 seized in the Free State and Northern Cape, pointing to organised smuggling networks.

“While the Western Cape conducted the highest number of searches, it yielded lower cash recoveries compared to regions like the Eastern Cape,” Thobakgale noted. “This disparity highlights differing patterns of illicit activity, including cashless illegal operations.”

The commissioner also highlighted the severe strain on the department. During the festive season, the inmate population surged to 170,739, far exceeding the department’s approved capacity of about 107,000 beds.

“This represents the highest incarceration population reported in recent years,” Thobakgale said. “It has placed immense pressure on infrastructure, staffing, security management, and budgets — a situation compounded by reduced court activity during the holidays.”

Though Operation Vala officially concluded in January, the department maintained its high-security posture.

“The operation has demonstrated improved capability at management area level and this capacity is being maintained and strengthened as part of ongoing year-round security operations aimed at creating safer, contraband-free correctional environments.”

The department revealed comprehensive investigations into 2025 incidents at Oudtshoorn and Pollsmoor centres have concluded, “revealing serious operational and management failures.”

According to DCS:

• Oudtshoorn: Leadership failures exacerbated an attack where four officials were stabbed, leading to an offender’s unnatural death.
• Pollsmoor (Erroneous release): A deliberate escape via impersonation, exposing security and verification lapses.
• Pollsmoor (Stabbing & deaths): Security breaches and use-of-force violations resulted in three inmate deaths.

“Disciplinary and criminal processes are under way against implicated officials and inmates. We are addressing systemic weaknesses and implementing strict corrective measures to ensure lawful, ethical, and professional management of all centres.”

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