South Africa’s Department of Correctional Services is ordered to repay at least R1.7 million to the company that runs the private, maximum-security Mangaung Correctional Centre, where Thabo Bester escaped in May 2022. The order involves the Minister for Correctional Services and the National Commissioner of Correctional Services, according to reports cited by local outlets. The repayment relates to contractual and financial consequences tied to the escape. One outlet reports that the operator, G4S, is fined R880,000 under the contract connected to Bester’s escape. Combined reporting indicates the government must refund at least R1.7 million, which reflects the amounts associated with that contractual fine and related penalties or costs. The coverage is based on reporting by GroundUp. No additional details about the timing of the repayment or any further legal steps are provided in the excerpts, but both sources frame the decision as a formal order requiring repayment to the operator following the 2022 escape.