Commissioner Thobakgale Confirms Force Was Used on Inmates Who Died After Pollsmoor Incident
- National Correctional Service Commissioner Mokgothi Thobakgale said that recent violent attacks at Pollsmoor prison were unpredictable
- The incident happened on 29 October 2025 and left three inmates dead and two correctional officials injured
- Thobakgale visited the correctional centre on Tuesday, 4 November 2025
On Tuesday, 4 November 2025, National Correctional Service Commissioner Mokgothi Thobakgale confirmed that force had been used to control inmates at Pollsmoor Correctional Centre. This follows a violent attack that left three inmates dead and two prison officials injured after being stabbed on 29 October 2025.
Source: Twitter
What did Thobakgale say?
The commissioner said that the incident could not have been avoided. He stated that although the inmates who attacked prison officials were members of the numbers gang, they were still classified as low-risk prisoners. He said that these prisoners had a good record, resulting in them being regarded as cleaners.
Thobakgale noted that the attack occurred after breakfast, when inmates were already in lockdown, and added that such an incident would have been difficult to anticipate without prior intelligence. He said authorities are investigating whether additional inmates were involved in planning and carrying out the violent attack on prison officials at Pollsmoor, and stated that the other two inmates have been transferred to a different correctional facility.
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He added that the assault is believed to be gang-related and that stricter measures have been implemented to prevent similar incidents.
Source: Twitter
Other violent incidents
The 19-year-old caught on video allegedly assaulting his 82-year-old grandmother has been placed under suicide watch in the hospital section of Pollsmoor Prison in the Western Cape. Luvo Gqaza, who faced charges of assault with intent to cause grievous bodily harm and violating the Older Persons' Act, appeared before the Kuilsriver Magistrates Court.
The convicted killer of South African anti-apartheid hero Chris Hani has been stabbed in jail, days after the country's top court ordered him to be released on parole, the prison services said. In a statement, the Department of Correctional Services (DCS) said it was "able to confirm an unfortunate stabbing incident" involving Janusz Walus, who has spent nearly three decades in jail for the 1993 killing.
South Africans are concerned about the rise in violence in schools after two learners stabbed a grade 9 learner with scissors on 21 August 2025 in Alice, Eastern Cape. The incident happened at the Enkwenkwezini Senior Secondary School in the Amathole West Education District. The two learners reportedly assaulted and stabbed the victim. The school's staff immediately assisted him and called the South African Police Service after notifying his parents.
Mpumalanga learner arrested for stabbing friend to death
In a previous article, Briefly News reported that an Mpumalanga learner was arrested after he stabbed his friend and killed him on 14 August 2025. The two learners were on their way home from school when the suspect turned on the victim and stabbed him.
The circumstances leading to the incident were unknown. Learners who reportedly witnessed the incident alerted the teachers, who called the police.
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Source: Briefly News
