R5.4bn a year: The cost of foreign inmates in SA prisons
More than 30,000 foreign nationals are incarcerated in South Africa, costing the state billions annually, as a new agreement with Zimbabwe could eventually allow sentenced prisoners to serve sentences there.
South Africa currently houses more than 30,000 foreign nationals in its prisons, with an estimated cost of R5.4 billion per year, according to a spokesperson from the Department of Correctional Services. The government is nearing an agreement with Zimbabwe to transfer sentenced offenders to their home country, potentially easing the burden on South African prisons, which have an overcrowding rate of 62%.
Of the total 30,527 foreign nationals incarcerated, 4,731 are from Zimbabwe, followed by Mozambique, Malawi, and Lesotho. However, the exact number of Zimbabwean prisoners that would be transferred is uncertain due to differences in sentencing and parole systems. Research shows that over 80% of surveyed foreign nationals would prefer serving their sentences in their home countries to be closer to their families.
The financial burden of incarcerating foreign nationals is about R14 million daily, or R5.4 billion yearly, prompting the department to prioritize agreements with neighboring SADC countries.
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