Correctional service pounces on ‘dancing prisoner Teffo’
Correctional services confiscated several unauthorised items, including drugs and hacksaw blades.
The Department of Correctional Services (DCS) has carried out a raid at the Kgosi Mampuru II Correctional Facility following the dissemination of a video showcasing prisoners dancing and playing music within the facility. In the footage, a man identified as disbarred Advocate Malesela Teffo is seen dancing, accompanied by other inmates who are laughing and joining in. A laptop is also visible on a bed in the video.
The video of disbarred Advocate Malesela Teffo appearing to enjoy his time inside a correctional facility has been circulating on social media since mid-September 2026. Advocate Teffo was apprehended by the police in the same month after making an appearance at the Legal Practice Council offices in Pretoria.
In response to the public outcry over the video, the National Commissioner of Correctional Services, Mr. Makgothi Samuel Thobakgale, directed the management to swiftly conduct a search operation in the unit where the inmates were residing. The search led to the confiscation of numerous unauthorized items, including five cellphones, three routers, one laptop, two bank cards, 11 packets of illicit cigarettes, five packets of dagga, 194 tablets of Mandrax, two hacksaw blades, and various sharp objects.
The spokesperson for the DCS, Singabakho Nxumalo, stated that the items seized highlight the gravity of the security breaches the department aims to rectify. Disciplinary Nxumalo emphasized that prisoners found in possession of illegal and unauthorized goods will face internal disciplinary proceedings. Their behavior will also be considered when evaluating their profiles, potentially affecting their correctional placement, privileges, and other relevant aspects, as per the established procedures.
DCS officials have vowed to thoroughly investigate the matter, including the means through which the recording device was introduced into the facility. They will also examine any potential involvement or negligence by the staff, and appropriate action will be taken if wrongdoing is proven. The removal of illegal and unauthorized items from correctional facilities remains a top priority under the leadership of Commissioner Thobakgale.
He has consistently urged all Management Areas to uphold a clean and secure environment, free from contraband and activities that undermine the Department's mission.
Thobakgale emphasized that prisoners cannot disregard rules and security protocols without facing consequences. He stressed the importance of maintaining discipline across all correctional facilities, as no individual, either an offender or an official, should be permitted to compromise the integrity of the correctional system.
Written by urgent.news from The Citizen's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
