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The Centre for Environmental Rights (CER), representing Earthlife Africa, groundWork, and the Mining and Environmental Justice Community Network of South Africa (MEJCON-SA), submitted a formal objection to the Department of Economic Development Environment and Tourism in Limpopo regarding the Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) for the Musina-Makhado Special Economic Zone (MMSEZ) metallurgical cluster. The CER argues that the Final Environmental Impact Report (FEIR) contains fatal flaws, including insufficient public participation and missing critical data on water and energy, and asserts that the application should have been refused by the regulatory deadline of 19 May 2021.

The South African government aims to mobilise R1 trillion from the private sector over 10 years via an Infrastructure Fund to address an infrastructure deficit and revive economic growth. The document argues that the current focus on 'de-risking' private investment—through blended finance, public-private partnerships (PPPs), and converting infrastructure into asset classes—often shifts excessive risk to the public fiscus and may fail to deliver developmental outcomes. It cites the Gautrain and prison facilities in Bloemfontein and Louis Trichardt as examples of costly public-sector liabilities. The author recommends that the state maintain leadership in structural economic transformation, specifically shifting away from fossil fuels and extractive industries, while implementing stricter governance, transparency, and human rights due diligence for all private-sector involvements.

The South African government implemented two 25-year private prison concessions in 2000 under the Asset Procurement and Operating Partnership Systems (APOPS). While a government review found that these facilities provided higher quality services than public prisons at comparable daily operating costs, the projects suffered from a lack of initial feasibility studies and overly high specifications based on UK models. Consequently, high interest rates and equity returns have resulted in these two prisons consuming 5% of the Department of Correctional Services' total budget for the 25-year duration of the contracts.

This research paper examines the introduction of private prisons in South Africa as a response to overcrowding and funding shortages within the Department of Correctional Services (DCS). It discusses the opening of the first private facilities in Bloemfontein and Louis Trichardt, comparing the South African model to those in the United Kingdom, United States, and Australia, while suggesting reforms for transparency and the expansion of private sector involvement in community corrections.

The document assesses the South African prison system's crisis of overcrowding and funding, arguing that while prison privatisation is controversial, it may be the only viable means of reforming deteriorating government services. It analyzes the 'design, construction, finance and management' (DCFM) model, comparing South Africa's approach to experiences in the United States, Australia, and the United Kingdom. The author highlights the Ikhwezi Bloemfontein Correctional Contracts facility as a significant improvement over public prisons in terms of care and security, but warns against long-term financing arrangements that reduce state leverage and the lack of transparency in private contracts. Recommendations include shortening financing agreements, expanding private sector involvement into community corrections, and establishing independent regulatory monitoring to prevent 'capture'.