7. Observations 7.1 Mangaung and New Kimberley Correctional Centres 7.1.1 Apart from the weekly meetings around operational matters between Mangaung Correctional Centre's Head and the DCS controllers on site, G4S and the DCS have monthly 'high level' meetings to discuss issues related to service delivery. These interactions notwithstanding, the Managing Director reported that communication between his company and the DCS could still be improved particularly to facilitate greater stakeholder involvement and more frequent exchange of ideas to ensure that best practices on both sides are shared. 2. The Mangaung Correctional Centre ascribed the incidents of unrest experienced over recent months to the reclassification process. According to Section 29 of the Correctional Services Act of 1998 an inmate's security classification is determined by the extent to which he or she presents a security risk, and determines whether the sentence or remainder of the sentence would be served in a maximum or minimum security centre. Reclassification is determined via a tool introduced to correctional centres in August 2006. In November 2008 the National Overcrowding Task Team (NOTT) reported that the tool was not being utilised at Mangaung, and recommended its immediate implementation. This was not done and in July 2009 inmates embarked on a hunger-strike in protest. At the subsequent consultation process between the DCS and the private contractors it was agreed that the tool would be implemented. The Centre is confident that it has dealt with the unrest and would in future be able to avoid such protests, but could not confirm that the reclassification challenges at Mangaung have been addressed. The Committee was assured that no unnecessary force was used in containing and suppressing inmate protests.