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South Africa · Western Cape · Tokai, Cape Town
Pollsmoor Maximum Security Prison
MaximumMaximummaleOvercrowded (180%)ElevatedHigh
Verified · Data dated
Fresh · 2mo ago
Sources last reviewed on · data-as-of
Data is aggregated from public sources and may be incomplete or out of date. Always verify with primary sources before acting on any figure. See data sources.
For families
How to send mail, money, and visit Pollsmoor Maximum Security Prison
Step-by-step guidance using the South Africa system — addresses, money services, visit booking, what to bring on your first visit.
Cape Town's main remand and sentenced-prisoner facility. Nelson Mandela was held here in the 1980s.
Background
Pollsmoor Prison, officially known as Pollsmoor Maximum Security Prison, is located in the Cape Town suburb of Tokai in South Africa. Pollsmoor is a maximum security penal facility that continues to hold some of South Africa's most dangerous criminals. Although the prison was designed with a maximum capacity of 4,336 offenders attended by a staff of 1,278, the current inmate population is over 7,000 (a figure which fluctuates daily).
Source: Wikipedia article lead, CC-BY-SA.
Capacity
4,336
Current population
7,800
Occupancy
180%
Year opened
1964
Operational
Figures from official sources · verified 28 May 2026 · methodology
Facility profile
Population held
male
Opened
1964
Region
Western Cape
Security level
Maximum
Death-row facility
No
Conditions
Severe overcrowding (often >175% of design capacity). Reports of inadequate sanitation and inmate-on-inmate violence.
Visiting
Booked via the DCS visits desk; ID required; visit lengths set by inmate's privilege grade.
Mailing
Inmate Name & DCS#, Pollsmoor Correctional Centre, Steenberg Road, Tokai 7945, South Africa.
Practical info
Visitor centre operated with NGO support.
Known issues
Constitutional Court rulings have ordered population reduction; compliance partial.
Notable inmates
Nelson Mandela1918–2013 · politicianNelson Rolihlahla Mandela ( man-DEL-É, Xhosa: [xolÃɬaɬa mandÉÌËla]; born Rolihlahla Mandela; 18 July 1918 â 5 December 2013) was a South African anti-apartheid activist, statesman, and revolutionary who was the first president of South Africa from 1994 to 1999.
Source: Wikidata + Wikipedia.
Contact & address
Conditions Risk Score
Derived signal — not a judgement. How it's calculated
37/100
Elevated concern37/100
- Overcrowding
- 22/30
- Oversight reports
- 12/30
- Structural flags
- 0/15
- Death signals
- 0/15
- Conditions text
- 3/10
What the score is responding to:
- · Severely overcrowded at 180% of capacity
- · 2 oversight reports in the last 5 years
- · Severe-conditions keyword in sources
This facility scores 37. The national average across 567 scored South Africa facilities is 31 — 6 points above national average.
Trend over time
Population and occupancy by year. Source: official corrections statistics + oversight reports.
Population held
2018: 7,200+8.3%2024: 7,800
Occupancy %
2018: 166.0%+8.4%2024: 180.0%
Related facilities
Same country, matched on type + security level where possible.
- Mabatlane Community CorrectionsCommunity Corrections
- Middelburg Community Corrections (E-C)Community Corrections
- Vanrhynsdorp Community CorrectionsCommunity Corrections
- Jansenville Community CorrectionsCommunity Corrections
- Riebeeck West Correctional CentreCorrectional Centre
- Barkly East Community CorrectionsCommunity Corrections
Reports
- PMG-AGSA20 Aug 2024
PMG DCS committee meeting (2024-08-20): AGSA audit findings mentioned in relation to Pollsmoor Correctional Centre. Snippet: Minister Ntshalintshali told a positive story about two children who had been raised by a mother in Pollsmoor prison and went on to become a lawyer and a pilot. This story had been celebrated during the Women's Month celebrations. She credited the Department’
- Judicial Inspectorate for Correctional Services10 Dec 2023
Pollsmoor running at 184% of design capacity; remand population is the principal driver.
Data completeness
100%How many of our profile fields are populated. We surface this so families and researchers know the limits.
Sources
- Department of Correctional Services â South Africa
- Wikipedia — Wikimedia Foundation
- Human Rights Watch â World Report — Human Rights Watch
- Wikidata (Q7225734)
- Wikipedia
- See /data-sources for our overall methodology.
Cite this page
Under CC-BY-4.0. Include the URL and access date; the site is a living reference and entries can change.
APA
World Prisons. (2026). Pollsmoor Maximum Security Prison. Retrieved July 21, 2026, from https://worldprisons.com/prisons/pollsmoor
Chicago
"Pollsmoor Maximum Security Prison." World Prisons. Accessed July 21, 2026. https://worldprisons.com/prisons/pollsmoor.
BibTeX
@misc{worldprisons-pollsmoor,
author = {{World Prisons}},
title = {Pollsmoor Maximum Security Prison},
year = {2026},
url = {https://worldprisons.com/prisons/pollsmoor},
urldate = {2026-07-21}
}