The Mangaung Prison (Afrikaans: Mangaung-gevangenis) is a maximum security prison in Bloemfontein, Free State, South Africa. The prison is privately owned and managed by the company G4S as part of a consortium.[1] The South African Department of Correctional Services signed a 25-year contract with the consortium in 2000. The prison can accommodate around 3,000 prisoners.[2]
In October 2013, the department temporarily took over the prison, after G4S "lost effective control of the facility".[3] In October, a female custodian with 13 years of experience was taken hostage by prisoners. She was later saved unharmed by a special police task force.[4]