Thohoyandou Medium A, in northern Limpopo, recorded the highest seizures of cannabis within its prison walls last year – a mind-boggling 42,3 tons were confiscated during surprise raids and the shenanigans were carrying on up until June 2025 when Correctional Services took decisive action to bring the rogue prison into line.
According to the Parliamentary Monitoring Group (PMG), there are 1 145 prisoners at Thohoyandou Medium A, which was designed to accommodate 691, ie) 165% above capacity. That’s not as bad as Thohoyandou Medium B, designed for 219 and is 323% overcrowded. Among the problems identified by the PMG were overcrowding and recividism, but nowhere was there any official word on any cannabis issues, despite the fact that by the DCS’s own records, more cannabis was moving in and out of Thohoyandou prison than was exported from South Africa to the rest of the world!
READ HERE: DCS stats on drugs in SA prisons
It’s clear from the scale of the cannabis issue, that elements of DCS management and certain service providers had to be involved at the Thohoyandou facility. This was confirmed during a raid by Correctional Services on 27 June 2025 led by National Commissioner Makgothi Thobakgale. He told SABC News that officials found “a sizeable amount of dagga, showing that there is a flow of dagga in the management area to be packaged for selling.”
“We were able to retrieve twenty-three cellphones with their accessories, meaning there was a router, also chargers and headphones. We also retrieved a smartwatch, so we are following up on it because a smartwatch means a lot in terms of its technical capacity when it comes to communication and network.”
It’s not clear at this stage whether any arrests have been made or charges laid in connection with the Thohoyandou prison raids and seizures.
The DA had earlier in the year questioned DCS’ security measures, stating that up to 50 mandrax tablets were confiscated per day in the Western Cape’s prisons.
DCS minister Pieter Groenewald’s office said that the department was conducting regular security operations focusing on targeted surprise cell searches
“The department has adapted its strategies in response to the constantly evolving smuggling methods employed by offenders and external networks,” Groenewald’s spokesperson Euné Oelofsen told The Citizen on 12 August 2025.
“This includes enhanced intelligence gathering which has led to numerous intercepts of contraband before it reaches prison gates.”
Sources of smuggling
DCS said challenges remained, but believed the measures were showing signs of disrupting the smuggling of drugs into prisons.
Identifying the sources of smuggled contraband were key, with the minister’s office listing the primary contributors.
DCS said offenders returning from court appearances, hospital visits or work programmes were smuggling substances back in with them, while corrupt officials were also to blame.
“[There is] a small minority of personnel who betray the public trust by participating in or facilitating smuggling activities,” Oelofsen said.
She added that contractors and service providers who had access to prisons for maintenance, supply or service delivery were also exploiting their position.
“The department continues to strengthen vetting, monitoring, and search procedures for all three categories to reduce the risk of contraband entering correctional centres,” Oelofsen concluded.
#
