Packed to the brim: SA jails burst with inmates and corruption claims
Parliament’s correctional services committee has raised alarm over rising contraband, overcrowding, and poor conditions in South Africa’s prisons following oversight visits to facilities in the Eastern and Western Cape.
Image: Parliament of SA / Facebook
Parliament’s Portfolio Committee on Correctional Services has raised concerns over the growing number of contraband items found in the country’s prisons, alongside severe overcrowding and concerns over inflated bread prices in correctional facilities.
Speaking during the Social Services and Peace and Security Clusters media briefing on Monday, committee chairperson Kgomotso Ramolobeng said the findings followed the committee’s recent oversight visits to prisons in the Eastern and Western Cape.
Ramolobeng said that at St Albans Correctional Centre alone, 786 cellphones were confiscated between April and September, while seven officials were caught with contraband.
“We have urged the department to ensure that criminal cases are opened against officials found compromising security in correctional facilities,” she said.
She said the committee had also encouraged the Department of Correctional Services (DCS) to invest in technology to detect and prevent contraband, with St Albans expected to pilot a new system.
Ramolobeng described overcrowding as one of the biggest challenges facing the department, saying it “negatively impacts on the department’s mandate to provide secure and humane detention and rehabilitation of offenders.”
As of 31 March 2025, DCS facilities had an approved bed space of 107,067 but were housing about 166,000 inmates, including more than 61,000 remand detainees and 107,000 sentenced offenders.
She said foreign nationals and state patients also contributed to the pressure, with 25,445 foreign national inmates and 350 state patients being held in correctional facilities instead of mental health institutions.
During the committee’s visit to Mthatha Correctional Centre, members found a female inmate who had been in remand since 2019. “This is her seventh year in remand detention,” Ramolobeng said, adding that the department had been urged to refer such cases to the courts in terms of the Correctional Services Act.
The committee found that Mthatha, East London and St Albans prisons were severely overcrowded. Mthatha Remand, approved for 679 inmates, was housing 1,542, while East London Remand held 1,127 inmates against a capacity of 477. St Albans Remand had 2,066 inmates but a capacity of only 1,305, she said.
Ramolobeng said the visits also exposed decaying infrastructure and persistent water shortages, with some prisons going up to two weeks without water. “We have recommended that the department find long-term solutions to water shortages, especially in facilities affected by municipal supply issues,” she said.
She said poor maintenance of kitchens and non-functioning equipment were also a concern, with expired compliance certificates and peeling paint in food preparation areas posing health risks.
On staffing, Ramolobeng said the high number of vacancies in the Eastern Cape, particularly among security staff, limited inmate participation in skills programmes. While the committee commended the range of skills training offered, participation remained low due to a lack of personnel.
Turning to procurement, she said the committee had welcomed the department’s decision to review its inflated bread supply contracts.
The minister had since reported that a new flat-rate pricing system had been agreed upon with suppliers, effective from 1 October. “We commend the inclusion of a clause allowing for regular price reviews,” Ramolobeng said.
She added that the committee had asked the department to investigate possible collusion between officials and suppliers and to review pricing for other goods. It also urged the department to repair or replace bakery equipment to support self-sufficiency.
Ramolobeng said the committee had questioned the centralisation of long-term contracts and the department’s reliance on consultants.
The Auditor-General’s latest report found that some contracts were awarded using criteria that differed from those published in original bid invitations.
“We have called on the department to reduce its reliance on consultants and ensure skills are transferred to officials,” she said.
The committee also requested a full report on the stabbing of an official at St Albans Prison earlier this year. News24 had reported that the attack was allegedly carried out by inmates denied interaction with the committee during its oversight visit.
“The department has confirmed the incident and an investigation is under way,” Ramolobeng said, adding that the committee would await a full report from the National Commissioner once it was concluded.
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