Parliament's correctional services committee shocked by number of foreigners in SA prisons

CAPE TOWN - The chairperson of Parliament’s correctional services portfolio committee said they’re shocked at the number of foreigners in South African prisons.

Chairperson Anthea Ramolobeng said that in some facilities, the number of foreigners outnumbered South African inmates.

Ramolobeng was addressing a parliamentary security cluster briefing on issues affecting her portfolio, from overcrowding to the smuggling of contraband.

Ramolobeng illustrated the influx of foreigners in prisons.

"When we went to Baviaanspoort, we had about 525 male offenders who are incarcerated in that facility. Out of the 525, 400 are foreign nationals."

She said that during their last oversight visit, they were shocked at the number of foreigners in some prisons, especially those in Gauteng, including juvenile facilities.

"The inmate population of foreign nationals, it was a shock for us with the number we would have received from Gauteng."

Ramolobeng said that as of March 2024, the department had incarcerated 22,612 foreigners with 690 serving life sentences.