Prisoners get out early

2003-09-05 13:58

Cape Town - A first batch of petty criminals were released from prisons around the country this week, Correctional Services Minister Ben Skosana announced at a parliamentary media briefing on Friday.

In a bid to ease the severe overcrowding in South Africa's prisons, the released criminals would serve out the balance of their sentences under "community corrections", a form of parole.

Skosana said a total of 7 121 prisoners would be released in batches, starting on September 1 and ending in June 2004.

The minister said he did not know how many prisoners had been in the first batch, released on Monday this week.

There were currently 185 748 inmates in South Africa's prisons, which had an official capacity of 111,241.

"This means we are overcrowded by 74 507, or 67%," Skosana said.

Four new prisons to be built at Kimberley, Klerksdorp, Leeukop and Nigel would help the overcrowding, but were not the ultimate solution.

It all takes time

"We believe we cannot build ourselves out of overcrowding. Weekend courts and the early parole does help the problem," he said.

The new prisons, to be built at a cost of R350-million each, were expected to be operational in 2006.

"It does not take 18 months to design and build a prison. We still have to staff the prisons. It all takes time."

Collectively the new prisons would hold 12 000 inmates.

Skosana said from 1995 to 2000, the number of prison admissions had shown a slight increase.

"In 2001 it increased dramatically to 159 641, and in 2002 it showed a marked decreased to 98 909, which was the lowest ever since 1995," he said.

He blamed overcrowding on the stricter sentences being imposed on criminals.

Stiffer sentences

"What has contributed to increased overcrowding has been the fact that more prisoners are now receiving stiffer sentences."

Commenting on whether President Thabo Mbeki would award amnesty to prisoners before next year's election, Skosana said while the matter was separate from that of overcrowding, he would advise the president to release women and children first.

"If the president does decide to give amnesty, our role would be one of adviser.

"My advice would be to release women and children first. The elderly and the sick.

"This has nothing to do with overcrowding. I must point out that the granting of amnesty is an international phenomenon," he said.

There are currently 4 274 children between the ages of 14 and 20 in South Africa's jails. Of these, 2 414 are awaiting sentence.

Asked about "People's Poet" Mzwakhe Mbuli, Skosana said he was expected to be released in November.

Mbuli has served about four years of a 10-year sentence for robbery - reduced from 13 years after an appeal in June last year.

Mbuli and his bodyguards, Happy Skwambane and Ben Masiso, were arrested after the First National Bank in Waverley, Pretoria, was robbed of R15 039 in October 1997.

Skosana said violent criminals would not be released into society, at which a reporter muttered: "But bank robbers would."

Correctional services national commissioner Linda Mti quickly pointed out that Mbuli was not the only bank robber who would be released.

"There are others, like those who have defrauded the JSE. He is not the only one," said a clearly irate Mti.

Skosana said the department would take into consideration whether anyone had been killed during the crime before releasing a prisoner.

- SAPA