The Department of Correctional Services is facing a projected R749 million budget over-expenditure, with overcrowding and rising food costs putting pressure on its finances.
Parliament’s Portfolio Committee on Correctional Services has called on the Department of Correctional Services to produce a financial recovery plan after it projected a R749 million over expenditure for the 2026/27 financial year.
The committee considered the department’s first quarter performance report on Tuesday and said rising food costs, largely driven by overcrowding in correctional facilities, were the main contributor to the projected overspend.
Committee chairperson Kgomotso Anthea Ramolobeng said the department would face higher food costs as the number of inmates increased.
“The more inmates are admitted into correctional facilities, the more the department will need to spend on food. We therefore want a proper financial recovery plan outlining how the department intends to mitigate this over-expenditure,” Ramolobeng said.
