Parliament seeks recovery plan as DCS projects R749 million budget overrun

Parliament's Portfolio Committee on Correctional Services has urged the Department of Correctional Services (DCS) to develop a financial recovery plan following a projected R749 million budget overrun for the 2026/27 fiscal year. The committee reviewed the department's first quarter performance report and identified rising food costs, driven by inmate overcrowding, as the primary cause of the overspend.

Committee chairperson Kgomotso Anthea Ramolobeng stated that the department will face increased food expenses as the inmate population grows, emphasizing the need for a comprehensive financial recovery plan to address this over-expenditure.

The committee highlighted that overcrowding is most severe in the Eastern Cape, Gauteng, and Western Cape, where inmate admissions continue to exceed releases. DCS also reported quarterly budget overruns in several programs, with the Incarceration and Rehabilitation program exceeding its budget by 9%, Care by 18%, and Social Reintegration by 12%.

Although the department met 83% of its performance targets for the quarter, the committee noted this figure was misleading due to significant operational issues, including staff shortages and pressure on rehabilitation and mental health services.

Committee members expressed concern over inconsistencies in vacancy rates between two reporting systems and the impact of these vacancies on parole board decision-making. They also raised alarms about critical rehabilitation and mental health services being constrained by severe staffing shortages. The committee pointed out 44 unnatural inmate deaths reported during the first quarter and called for improved accountability and concrete measures to prevent further deaths in correctional centers.