How gangs turn South African prisons into crime hubs
MPs have identified overcrowding as being at the core of criminal activities in South Africa's prisons.
South African political parties are advocating for a comprehensive overhaul of the criminal justice system to tackle overcrowded prisons and court backlogs, which they claim are contributing significantly to the rise of criminal activity within the nation's penal institutions. Correctional Services National Commissioner Makgothi Thobakgale testified before the Madlanga Commission that prisons are not merely housing criminals but are becoming hubs for gang recruitment and the development of future criminal leaders.
He warned that imprisonment does not eliminate an offender's criminal intent or connections to the outside world, as they may continue to engage in criminal activities while in detention or serving their sentences. MPs from Parliament's correctional services oversight committee echoed Thobakgale's concerns, highlighting overcrowding, understaffing, and outdated security technology as the root causes of many prison problems.
They emphasized that power vacuums created by these issues allow organized gangs to exploit the system, engage in contraband smuggling facilitated by compromised officials, and recruit new members. Delayed vetting processes and outdated internal disciplinary procedures further exacerbate the situation, leaving vulnerable staff exposed and allowing criminal officials to remain in position.
The Democratic Alliance's Janho Engelbrecht called for a complete redesign of the entire criminal justice system, emphasizing that overcrowding is a result of an overwhelming number of remand detainees who are not separated from more serious offenders. Engelbrecht pointed out the dire conditions in remand detention centers, where up to 500 individuals are housed in eight cells, leading to a lack of security and unity among criminals of various offenses.
The Economic Freedom Fighters' Carl Niehaus further criticized the collapse of integrity within correctional centers, attributing it to the failure of intelligence and policing agencies to provide adequate information about gang operations and the connections between imprisoned leaders and street gangs. Niehaus stressed the need for intelligence services to better understand gang activities in order to effectively dismantle syndicates.
Correctional Services Minister Pieter Groenewald reported that overcrowding currently stands at 62%, with 62,400 remand detainees and 110,129 sentenced inmates occupying 173,955 bed spaces, far exceeding the 107,100 available. The Minister acknowledged that the problem stems from upstream issues in the criminal justice system, particularly the ineffective Department of Justice, which has a backlog of 52,000 cases.
He emphasized that redesigning the entire criminal justice system is the only viable solution, as merely reforming the existing framework will not address the systemic issues plaguing South African prisons.
Written by urgent.news from IOL's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
