Government says overcrowding is driven by court backlogs, with prisons operating at 157% capacity nationwide as of May 2026.
The Minister of Correctional Services, Pieter Groenewald, said the Eastern Cape has the most overcrowded correctional facilities in South Africa, operating at 184% occupancy, as pressure on the country’s prison system continues to escalate amid longstanding concerns over overcrowding, infrastructure strain, and inmate safety.
This comes after MK Party Member of Parliament (MP) Musawenkosi Gasa asked whether the Minister would provide him with a signed and dated report from the Judicial Inspectorate for Correctional Services (JICS) confirming that his definition of “stable” prison conditions matches the independent assessment of correctional facilities.
Gasa also asked whether conditions at correctional facilities had been misrepresented for political reasons, citing overcrowding levels of 168%, equivalent to 30,164 inmates versus 17,912 beds, and arguing that overcrowding contributes to unnatural deaths, gang violence, and human rights violations.
In response, Groenewald said the Judicial Inspectorate for Correctional Services “has not conducted infrastructure condition assessments of Correctional Centres in terms of the Government Immovable Asset Management Act (GIAMA),” adding that the Department of Public Works and Infrastructure carries out such assessments.
