18,000 Foreigners Are Serving Jail Time In SA Prisons

Foreigners account for little more than one out of every ten prisoners in South African prison yards.

The Department of Correctional Services (DCS) announced this ratio in response to a parliamentary query about possibly increasing the number of foreigners that are arrested.

Police have reported multiple successes involving foreign nationals this year, raising questions about how they are handled.

In September and October, the DCS undertook a statewide visit to South Africa’s prisons to examine operational and human resource capacity.

The DCS indicated in its written response to the legislative query that as of October 2024, there were roughly 18,000 foreign nationals in the correctional services system.

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This statistic includes both sentenced and awaiting convicts. Upon arrest, the DCS determines the nationality of the suspects and reports this information to the Department of Home Affairs.

Undesirable Foreigners

The DHA then validates the information, and if the foreigners are in the country unlawfully or meets the description of undesirable, the deportation process is initiated.

The DHA designates immigrants who overstay or fail to comply with the requirements of their applicable licenses as “undesirable.”

The DCS stated that there is “no legal provision for the transfer of sentenced foreigners to their country of origin”.

If the DHA cancels Foreigners’ permits or visas, the parolee will be deported to their home country.

Foreign parolees’ information will be distributed to all law enforcement agencies and ports of entry, and they will not be permitted to return to South Africa until their parole has expired or they have received consent from DHA.

“The DCS is at an advanced stage of consultation with Justice Crime Prevention and Security cluster with the objective of formalising a South African procedure in relation to interstate transfer of offenders,” the department said.