Parliamentary Correspondent
Correctional services minister Pieter Groenewald has warned that budget cuts of R693.4m over the medium term will strain the department’s ability to fill critical posts, maintain staff-to-inmate ratios and deliver safe custody and rehabilitation services.
Tabling budget vote 22 on Wednesday, Groenewald said the department faced tight budgets, the loss of experienced officials, rising numbers of offenders serving longer sentences and crime levels that had not declined at the pace society demanded.
He said the inmate population stood at 169,519 as of May 5, with overcrowding at 58%. Of these, 63,194 were remand detainees who had not yet been sentenced by the courts, with some awaiting trial for more than 10 years.
The department’s budget for 2026/27 is R30.93bn and is projected to rise to R32.8bn in 2028/29. Groenewald said employee compensation accounted for more than 70% of spending, leaving about R9.3bn for operational costs.
