Lindsay Dentlinger7 July 2025 | 11:39

Parly committee welcomes plans to amend law to allow prisoner exchanges, deporting of foreign nationals to serve sentences in countries of origin

With at least 13,000 foreign nationals in the country’s prisons, committee chairperson Kgomotso Ramolobeng, said that deporting foreign nationals, particularly those serving life terms, would help to alleviate overcrowding and save costs.

Parly committee welcomes plans to amend law to allow prisoner exchanges, deporting of foreign nationals to serve sentences in countries of origin

Chairperson of Parliament's correctional services committee, Kgomotso Ramolobeng, addressing the media on matters being considered in this portfolio on 7 July 2025. Picture: Parliament/Phando Jikelo

CAPE TOWN - Parliament's correctional services committee has welcomed plans to amend the law to allow for prisoner exchanges and to deport foreign nationals to serve their sentences in their countries of origin.

With at least 13,000 foreign nationals in the country's prisons, committee chairperson Kgomotso Ramolobeng said that deporting foreign nationals, particularly those serving life terms, would help to alleviate overcrowding and save costs.

With almost 163,000 inmates in the country's prisons, the correctional services department is grappling with ways to lessen the impact of overcrowding.

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Ramolobeng said that there were more than 12,000 foreign nationals who were in custody still awaiting trial.

"We also encourage the minister to consult with the minister of home affairs to deepen their relation and whilst we enter into the review process of the Correctional Services Act."

Ramolobeng said the review of the Correctional Services Act would also consider matters related to the length and form of sentence to allow the department to enter into deportation processes.

"Communities, civil society, the portfolio committee, will have an input on this section. The committee is highly, highly pleased that the department has heeded the call of the portfolio committee on this matter."

Last week, Minister Pieter Groenewald revealed that taxpayers were forking out R11 million a day to accommodate foreign nationals in the country’s prisons.