Concerns have been raised over foreign nationals and mental health patients in South African prisons, among other issues. Picture: File
The correctional services portfolio committee has flagged the issue of overcrowding in prisons, including the high number of foreign national inmates and state patients at the country’s jails.
Speaking during the Parliament’s weekly committee cluster media briefing on Tuesday, committee chairperson Anthea Ramolobeng said overcrowding was a problem in the whole peace and security cluster.
“It is not a correctional services matter only,” Ramolobeng said.
She said the Department of Correctional Services houses 156 000 prisoners in facilities, with 105 474 approved bed spaces.
The number could be more as the figures were for the 2023/24 period.
“The department is responsible for 55 776 remand detainers, who contributed 36% of total prison population,” she said.
Ramolobeng said there were a number of issues that contributed to the problem of overcrowding in prisons, including inmates granted bail being unable to pay up and others were not granted bail.
She noted that during their oversight visit to Colesberg, they found no less than 500 prisoners who could not manage to pay bail.
Ramolobeng said there were also state patients that should be in mental institutions that were incarcerated in prisons.
“This is a matter we had an engagement with the Department of Health. It is a matter we are to prioritise to make sure there is a bilateral between the departments to try to find mitigation of mental health patients being in correctional facilities instead of hospitals.”
She noted that there was a high number of foreign nationals languishing in the country’s prisons.
“The high number of foreign national is a dire concern the department is facing in the centres.”
She said non-South Africans at prisons incarcerated were 22 612 and 690 were serving life sentences as at end of March 2024.
“These statistics are yet to be updated.”
Ramoboleng noted that during an oversight visit in Gauteng last October, they found 525 male offenders incarcerated at Baviaansport juvenile centre.
“Out of the 525, 400 are foreign nationals. Only 125 were South Africans male offenders.”
The committee had also found 2 912 foreign national prisoners at Modipe Correctional Facility and at Kgosi Mampuru 2 394, Johannesburg Correctional Centre 4 709.
Ramolobeng listed some of the initiatives taken by the department to manage levels of overcrowding.
She also raised the issue of contraband found at the prisons during raids by the officials.
“Contraband flooding our centres is a serious concern as a number of investigations and officials don’t correlate with the amount of contraband found in facilities.”
In Johannesburg area, 1 393 cellphones were confiscated between July and September last year, but only 48 formal cases were registered, 84 investigations were conducted and 25 suspensions were implemented.
In Kgosi Mampuru, a total of 1 700 cellphones were confiscated between April and September 2024 while in Leeuwkop 63 were confiscated between May and July.
Ramolobeng said the committee was yet receive an updated plan from the department on how they planned to mitigate contraband.
She said infrastructure was a challenge across the departments, not just the correctional services.
“We have encouraged the department to find ways to use offenders to deal with day to day maintenance,” she said.
Ramolobeng also said the committee planned to conduct oversight visits to KwaZulu-Natal between February 24 and 28, but she would say what faculties would be visited.
“If we disclose, the department is to prepare for us and if they prepare, we are not to be able to get raw things happening in the facilities.”
She also said they would push for more accountability by the department unlike last year.
“We are put our foot down this year that there will be accountability. If matters need to be escalated to the Speaker and the President, we will do so as the portfolio committee,” Ramolobeng said.
mayibongwe.maqhina@inl.co.za