Minister wants foreign offenders to serve time in countries of origin
He hopes the home affairs department can assist with deportations of foreign offenders granted parole.
His department spends R11m a day on inmates from other countries, he told parliament's correctional services portfolio committee on Tuesday.
'The South African taxpayer foots the bill for more than 24,000 foreigners in correctional facilities. Calculated at R463 per day, this results in an expense of R11,112,000 per day.
'We are exploring various solutions, including diplomatic approaches.'
Anna Molepo, the department's chief deputy commissioner of community corrections, previously told the committee the number of sentenced foreigners in South African prisons was 12,676 in January 2025, which was 12.4% of the sentenced inmate population.
The committee was briefed in February on the challenges the department faced, including the legal issues that affect deportation orders and the processing of foreigners. The department said it was working to ensure the Immigration Act aligns with the relevant frameworks.
On Tuesday, Dereleen James, an ActionSA MP, called for accelerated deportation policies.
'Prisoners live in relative comfort while our communities are being destroyed, broken, under-resourced and forgotten,' James said. The R463 daily cost per inmate could fund 555,600 loaves of bread, enough to feed 277,800 households with two loaves each.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
IOL News
an hour ago
- IOL News
US demands on exemption from South Africa's BEE requirements yet to be addressed with Ramaphosa
The Freedom Front Plus delegation in Washington last week. Image: Facebook/FFPlus FF Plus leader Corné Mulder says he has yet to brief President Cyril Ramaphosa on claims that the Trump administration has demanded that US entities be exempted from all Black Economic Empowerment (BEE) requirements as a precondition for normalising bilateral relations with South Africa. There are more than 600 US companies based in South Africa. Mulder made the claims as a FF Plus delegation returned from the US where they met with senior White House officials. This demand was part of a broader set of conditions that include addressing farm attacks, condemning the "Kill the Boer" chant, and ensuring fair market compensation for land expropriation. According to Mulder, the White House officials expressed concern that these conditions have not been adequately addressed. In May, President Cyril Ramaphosa and his delegation embarked on a working visit to the US to meet with US president Donald Trump to help reset strained relations between the two countries, and secure a favorable trade deal after a fallout over the International Court of Justice (ICJ) case against Israel that had been instituted by South Africa. Mulder, who held a press briefing on yesterday, said the delegation was committed to normalising relations between South Africa and the US and described Ramaphosa's visit with Trump in May as 'premature'. "We have a clear understanding of the US Administration's expectations," Mulder said. "The delegation has undertaken to communicate these pre-conditions to both the South African government and the broader public in the interest of transparency, accountability, and the restoration of strong bilateral ties,' said Mulder. Mulder added that they had not gone to the US to complain. He said that discussions on claimed genocide did not arise and they did not meet with the 50 white Afrikaners who were granted refugee status by the Trump administration. Southern African Agri Initiative chairman Theo de Jager, and National Employers' Association CEO Gerhard Papenfus were also part of the delegation. According to business group Sakeliga's CEO Piet le Roux, this development marks a substantial escalation in international pressure against South Africa's 'race-restrictive economic policies'. "The international backlash against BEE and other race-restrictive policies of the South African government is set to escalate further in the coming months and years," Le Roux said. Le Roux noted that the US demand elevates race-restrictive legislation beyond domestic affairs to the level of international economic and diplomatic relations This could lead to a ratcheting up of US-led bilateral or multilateral pressure opposing restrictive legislation in South Africa. Speaking on BEE, De Jager said there was only one way to avoid economic migrants and that was by improving their livelihoods. "The principle here is that there must be equal citizenship…there must be respective property rights and there must be an environment where we can also do business. 'They (Trump administration) said to us that they had heard us on the BEE matter, that it is a non-trade tariff barrier and they said that they would not restore any trade relationship if these preconditions are not adhered to. 'The biggest war of our generation is poverty and hunger and the only way we can deal with that is to create wealth…So we are gradually losing investment because of the likes of BEE and the threat to expropriate your property without compensation. You cannot invest in a country where you are not safe. 'We need an environment that will safeguard investment whether you are black or white. As Afrikaners we don't have access to production financing anymore. We need that kind of access,' said de Jager. Department of International Relations and Cooperation (DIRCO) spokesperson Chrispin Phiri told IOL that the group was pursuing its "own agenda". "Our experience is that State actors do not use non-state actors as intermediaries; therefore, the Freedom Front Plus' (VF Plus) visit and subsequent pronouncements will be viewed as nothing more than their ambitions," he said. Presidency spokesperson Vincent Magwenya did not respond to questions on how the South African government would react to the US demands. However, Ramaphosa has previously indicated that he would not back down from implementing BEE policies. "BEE is not holding back the economy, but rather the concentrated nature of our economy is," Ramaphosa said. He defended using racial designations as a means to address economic disparities, although he acknowledged that this might not be necessary in the future.
The Herald
an hour ago
- The Herald
Minister wants foreign offenders to serve time in countries of origin
Foreign criminals sentenced to jail time should ideally be deported to their countries of origin to serve their terms, says correctional services minister Pieter Groenewald. He hopes the home affairs department can assist with deportations of foreign offenders granted parole. His department spends R11m a day on inmates from other countries, he told parliament's correctional services portfolio committee on Tuesday. 'The South African taxpayer foots the bill for more than 24,000 foreigners in correctional facilities. Calculated at R463 per day, this results in an expense of R11,112,000 per day. 'We are exploring various solutions, including diplomatic approaches.' Anna Molepo, the department's chief deputy commissioner of community corrections, previously told the committee the number of sentenced foreigners in South African prisons was 12,676 in January 2025, which was 12.4% of the sentenced inmate population. The committee was briefed in February on the challenges the department faced, including the legal issues that affect deportation orders and the processing of foreigners. The department said it was working to ensure the Immigration Act aligns with the relevant frameworks. On Tuesday, Dereleen James, an ActionSA MP, called for accelerated deportation policies. 'Prisoners live in relative comfort while our communities are being destroyed, broken, under-resourced and forgotten,' James said. The R463 daily cost per inmate could fund 555,600 loaves of bread, enough to feed 277,800 households with two loaves each.
The Citizen
an hour ago
- The Citizen
Corporal punishment and death penalty debated in Parliament
Corporal punishment was outlawed in prisons in 1996 by an act of Parliament. Correctional Services Minister Pieter Groenewald says petty criminals who can't afford bail should be given corporal punishment. Groenewald made the suggestion while delivering his budget vote in the National Assembly on Tuesday. Overcrowding The minister said overcrowding remains a challenge, exacerbated by those who can't afford to pay small amounts of bail. He highlighted that there are more than 104 000 inmates in correctional services facilities with limited beds. ALSO READ: Correctional Services committee urged to implement PP report on Bester escape [VIDEO] Groenewald stated that approximately 60 000 remand detainees are awaiting trial, with around 2 500 unable to afford bail amounts of R1 000 or less. Corporal punishment He said corporal punishment will help ease overcrowding in the country's prisons, an act of Parliament which was outlawed in 1996. 'If you look at our criminal justice system, we must start a debate to say shouldn't we bring back corporal punishment?' Groenewald said. 'A young person who steals 10 loaves of bread sits in prison and waits about three years for sentencing. Think about whether we should bring back corporal punishment,' Groenewald said in Afrikaans. Death penalty While Groenewald called for corporal punishment, a suggestion that sparked a debate among MPs. Patriotic Alliance (PA) MP Marlon Daniels argued the death penalty would be more suitable for those sentenced for murder. 'Corporal punishment is mildly put. Bring back the death penalty. You kill someone, be prepared to be killed.' Budget After being in office for a year, Groenewald said he would not sugarcoat the challenges plaguing the department he inherited. 'We know that these challenges encompass issues such as overcrowding, dilapidated infrastructure, a rising number of remand detainees, deteriorating facilities, staff shortages, the presence of crime syndicates and gangs within our institutions and emerging crime patterns that pose challenges to our rehabilitation programmes. 'The appropriation for our vote is R29 221 952 000 for the 2025/26 financial year, increasing to R30 567 412 000 in 2026/27, and reaching R31 950 271 000 in the 2027/28 financial year,' the minister said. Groenewald said the budget cuts will compromise security and equipment provision, adding that capital investments in skills development, nutritional services and capital works projects will likely be paused, and parolee monitoring could be negatively impacted. ALSO READ: Seven Mangaung prison officials suspended after murder of inmate [VIDEO]
