G4S senior managers are in hot water following the death of an inmate at Mangaung prison confirmed as murder
The inmate, Mpho Mkhumbeni (39) was serving a life sentence for murder since 28 November 2014, died on 12 March 2025 at the G4S-managed facility after being rushed to the prison’s in-house hospital. He was declared dead on arrival.
Initial reports suggested that Mkhumbeni collapsed in his cell, but conflicting accounts from G4S staff prompted the DCS to launch a full-scale investigation. Free State police spokesperson, Captain Loraine Earle, confirmed that a case was initially opened at Bloemspruit police station on the day of Mkhumbeni’s death. “The investigation started, and the post-mortem results were received by Bloemspruit police station on Wednesday, 2 April. The inquest was then changed to murder. The investigation moved further to confirm that G4S, which is a private contractor operating the prison on behalf of the department, failed to adhere to its obligations under the concession contract,” Thobakgale said.
Authorities have it in good standing that senior managers, who were required to provide oversight during and after the search, failed to intervene or report the assault. “Their claims of not witnessing the incident have been found to lack credibility. Even more concerning, G4S and its employees sought to conceal the truth and obscure the investigation. This is viewed in serious light as it is tantamount to defeating the ends of justice,” he added.
