Cape Town – Correctional Services Minister Pieter Groenewald has expressed his desire to repatriate all 27,000 foreign nationals currently in South African prisons to their countries of origin.
He noted that speeding up this process to reduce overcrowding would require changes to legislation, which cannot be done quickly.
Groenewald also highlighted that South African prisons are overcrowded and that additional correctional facilities are needed.
He made these remarks while responding to questions on prison overcrowding in the National Assembly.
“I am on record to say we’re in process to see what we can do to repatriate them back to countries of origin. In the end, I would like to see that those people are sent back to their countries of origin, but unfortunately, it is an amendment of legislation, and the honourable member will know it’s not a simple thing that you change legislation tomorrow,” EWN quoted him as saying.
This is not the first time the minister has spoken about overcrowding in South African prisons.
[WATCH] The Correctional Services Minister Pieter Groenewald says the government is spending over R11 million a day on foreign nationals serving jail time in South Africa. On Tuesday, Groenewald told Parliament’s portfolio committee that more than 24,000 foreign inmates are… pic.twitter.com/HIRnXHG7Wt
— SABC News (@SABCNews) July 5, 2025
In July, Groenewald called for the deportation of foreign nationals sentenced to prison in the country, saying it would ease the financial burden on taxpayers.
According to TimesLIVE, the minister revealed at the time that the country spends over R11 million each day to incarcerate more than 24,000 foreign inmates, at a cost of R463 per inmate per day.
He was speaking during a parliamentary budget vote.
“We are exploring various solutions, including diplomatic approaches,” Groenewald was quoted as saying in the report.
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Compiled by Betha Madhomu
