The biggest prison in South Africa located next to one of its wealthiest suburbs

Located next to one of South Africa’s wealthiest neighborhoods is the notorious Pollsmoor Prison, which occupies a 2.5 square kilometer area valued at over R100 million.

The property borders the upmarket Cape Town suburbs of Constantia and Bergvliet, as well as the Steenberg Wine Farm.

Being the largest correctional facility in the country, it has an approved capacity of over 4,000 beds. However, due to overcrowding, the facility holds more than 7,000 inmates, tended to by 1,278 guards.

The prison became notorious for housing anti-apartheid stalwarts, such as Nelson Mandela and Walter Sisulu. It has also become notorious for the gangsterism that thrives within its walls.

In 1688, Catharina Ras, one of the first female landowners in South Africa, was granted a lease “to cultivate, plough, to sow, and to possess” the land by Simon van der Stel, the Governor of the Cape Colony at the time.

Ras eventually sold the property to Frederick Russouw in 1695, and after it changed hands several more times, it came under the ownership of Nicolaas Louw.

A man named Hendrick van der Poll purchased a piece of land adjacent to Steenberg in 1834, which he used to cultivate vegetables, and called it Poll’s Moor.

The family of Van der Poll’s wife eventually inherited the land after the couple had passed, selling off pieces, one of which was purchased by Louw. This is where Pollsmoor Prison is today.

The land remained part of the Steenberg farm for several years until it was sold and used for a motoring track, which was built in 1936. It was named the Grosvenor Grand Prix Circuit, yet the locals still called it Pollsmoor race track.

After the race track entered bankruptcy, the land was eventually transferred to the Cape Command in 1940 to be used as a military base during World War II.

Having been used as a military prison during the war, as well as a hospital and barracks, the demand for prison labour from nearby farms saw prisoners brought in from Roeland Street Prison.

Initially, 20 prisoners were housed in the facility, which expanded to 200 by 1949. It was declared an official prison in December 1956.

After spending 18 years on Robben Island, Nelson Mandela was transferred to Pollsmoor Prison in 1982, along with other senior ANC leaders, including Walter Sisulu, Andrew Mlangeni, Ahmed Kathrada, and Raymond Mhlaba.

It is believed that this was done to isolate their influence over younger activists on the island.

However, while in prison, it is reported that Mandela got on well with the prison’s commanding officer, Brigadier Munro, and he was allowed to create a roof garden.

He was also allowed to write 52 letters a year and remained in prison for six years until he was transferred to a facility near Paarl, where he served the remainder of his 27 years.

Pollsmoor today

Today, the property comprises five prisons: The Admission Centre, Medium A, B, and C Prison, and the Female Prison.

The Admission Centre, formerly the Maximum Prison, is the largest building on the property. It serves as a remand centre, meaning most of its inmates are unsentenced and awaiting trial.

It has an approved bed capacity of 1,456, yet houses 2,962 inmates, 2,927 of which are unsentenced. This puts the overcrowding rate at 103%.

Medium Prison A houses juveniles between the ages of 14 and 17, both those awaiting trial and those who have been sentenced.

Sentenced adult males are housed in Medium B, while adult males with sentences of up to a year are housed in Medium C Prison.

The Female Prison houses both juvenile and adult women, awaiting trial and those who have been sentenced. This part of the prison also houses children under the age of two.

Under South African law, children are allowed to stay with their mothers in prison. However, in 2011, the facility established a Baby Mother Unit complete with a creche and clinic.

There is also a restaurant in the prison for visitors, which inmates staff to provide them with the training that could enable them to work as cooks or waiters in a restaurant after their release.

According to Department of Correctional Services spokesperson Singabakho Nxumalo, prisoners must be fully rehabilitated before they can work there.

He said that in addition to cooking responsibilities, they are also expected to handle the cash that customers use to pay for their meals.

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Images of Pollsmoor Prison