Parliament, Tuesday, 25 August 2026 – The Portfolio Committee on Correctional Services has cautioned the Department of Correctional Services (DCS) about its projected R749 million over-expenditure, reported to the committee today.
Committee Chairperson Ms Kgomotso Anthea Ramolobeng said the committee understands that food costs, driven largely by overcrowding, remain the main contributor to the projected over-expenditure. “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,” emphasised the Chairperson.
The committee today considered the DCS performance report for the first quarter of the 2026/27 financial year. “While acknowledging that the department achieved an overall performance target rate of 83%, the committee remains deeply concerned about severe structural challenges, escalating overcrowding, operational budget overruns and an alarming increase in unnatural inmate deaths,” highlighted the Chairperson.
The committee also noted with grave concern the Judicial Inspectorate for Correctional Services (JICS) report presented last week, which recorded 44 unnatural inmate deaths in the first quarter of 2026/27, an 83% increase compared with the 24 recorded during the same period last year. “We urge the department and JICS to work together to eliminate inconsistencies in the reporting of deaths. We hear the department when it says JICS reports on unnatural deaths before investigations have been finalised.
“Furthermore, we are concerned about delays in informing families about the cause of death of inmates who die while incarcerated. Families have a right to know, and they have a right to be informed of the cause of death as speedily as possible,” said Ms Ramolobeng.
The committee also raised concern about persistent overcrowding, particularly in the Eastern Cape, Gauteng and Western Cape, where inmate admissions continue to outpace releases.
The committee further noted that Correctional Supervision and Parole Board decision-making targets were missed in nearly all regions due to pervasive vacancies and a lack of quorums.
The department also experienced quarterly budget overruns across key programmes, including Incarceration (9%), Rehabilitation (9%), Care (18%) and Social Reintegration (12%), while failing to meet critical modernisation targets, including the drafting of the Correctional Services Amendment Bill and the deployment of smart technologies.
The committee highlighted that the Correctional Services Amendment Bill would be particularly important in addressing overcrowding, as it would provide for the interstate transfer of sentenced offenders to serve their sentences in their countries of origin.
“We note the inconsistencies in vacancy rates between the two reporting systems. While an 83% overall target achievement rate appears positive on paper, the severe operational gaps underneath cannot be ignored. Safe incarceration, human dignity and effective rehabilitation are constitutional imperatives, not optional goals.
“The committee cannot overlook the fact that critical rehabilitation and mental health services are constrained by severe staffing shortages. Rigorous accountability will be demanded from the executive regarding parole board vacancies, budget overruns, facility security and concrete interventions to prevent further loss of life in correctional centres,” said Ms Ramolobeng.
ISSUED BY THE PARLIAMENTARY COMMUNICATION SERVICES ON BEHALF OF THE CHAIRPERSON OF THE PORTFOLIO COMMITTEE ON CORRECTIONAL SERVICES, MS KGOMOTSO ANTHEA RAMOLOBENG.
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