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Just more than 15% of the 87,867 drug-related cases enrolled by the National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) over the past three financial years resulted in successful prosecutions, minister of justice and constitutional development Mmamoloko Kubayi said.In a written response to a parliamentary question from DA MP Glynnis Breytenbach, the minister said the NPA successfully prosecuted 13,234 drug-related cases during the three-year period. This represents about 15.1% of all drug-related cases enrolled for prosecution.The NPA enrolled 87,867 drug-related cases between the 2023/2024 and 2025/2026 financial years. During the same period, it withdrew 41,524 cases after enrolment, while a further 602 were discharged in terms of section 174 of the Criminal Procedure Act, which allows a court to dismiss a case if there is insufficient evidence on which a reasonable court could convict.The parliamentary reply shows that district courts dealt with the vast majority of drug-related prosecutions, enrolling 43,274 cases in 2025/2026, 31,516 in 2024/2025 and 12,788 in 2023/2024. Regional courts enrolled a further 399 cases over the same period.The Western Cape recorded the highest number of withdrawn drug-related cases, with 10,951 in 2025/2026, up from 9,025 in 2024/2025 and 3,149 in 2023/2024. It also recorded the highest number of successful prosecutions, with 5,204 in 2025/2026, 3,337 in 2024/2025 and 997 in 2023/2024.The NPA said it does not keep statistics on the total number of arrests for drug-related offences or on the reasons cases are withdrawn after enrolment. It said those records are held by the SAPS, though reasons for withdrawals are recorded in individual case dockets.Business Day
