Inside South African Prison Gangs

Madlanga Commission, Gangs, Thobakgale, Prison, Thabo Bester: Netflix's Umthetho tells the story of iGazlam, also known as the Brotherhood — a prison gang that allegedly continues running organised criminal activities from behind bars. But what happens when fiction starts sounding a little too close to testimony coming out of South Africa's Madlanga Commission? On 17 September 2026, Correctional Services National Commissioner Makgothi Samuel Thobakgale appeared before the Madlanga Commission of Inquiry and gave detailed evidence about prison gangs, corruption, contraband, bribery, intimidation, extortion and links between criminal networks inside and outside correctional facilities. Thobakgale told the Commission that some prison officials are groomed through small favours before being drawn into helping prisoners smuggle prohibited items such as cellphones, cigarettes and drugs. He also described how some gang members maintain links with criminal networks outside prison and how correctional facilities can become part of wider organised-crime networks. He discussed the influence of the 26s, 27s and 28s, as well as street gangs including the Americans, Hard Livings, Clever Kids and Naughty Boys. He also spoke about the Big Five prison gang and the role that prison gangs can play inside correctional facilities. The Commissioner further told the Commission that some gang members deliberately commit crimes to get themselves arrested and placed inside prison for protection from rival gangs outside. So, is Umthetho simply fiction — or does some of its prison-world storyline reflect problems that South Africa's correctional authorities are now publicly discussing? Let's talk about it. ⚠️ IMPORTANT: This video discusses evidence and allegations presented before the Madlanga Commission. The Commission has not yet made final findings on all of this evidence. Allegations should not be treated as proven facts unless established by a court or official finding. 📌 Subscribe to True Crime Julia for South African true crime, organised crime, breaking crime stories, court cases and investigations. #Umthetho #MadlangaCommission #SouthAfrica #SouthAfricanTrueCrime #PrisonGangs #PrisonGangsterism #OrganisedCrime #CorrectionalServices #MakgothiThobakgale #SouthAfricaNews #TrueCrime #TrueCrimeSouthAfrica #Gangsterism #SAPrisons #NetflixSouthAfrica