SA Prisons Minister addresses death penalty, corporal punishment and broken Criminal Justice system

Correctional Services Minister Pieter Groenewald opens up to BizNews on South Africa’s broken prison system – from inmates languishing for years over R100 bail, to overcrowded cells, foreign nationals draining millions, and his controversial call to revisit corporal punishment and even the death penalty.Sign up for your early morning brew of the BizNews Insider to keep you up to speed with the content that matters. The newsletter will land in your inbox at 5:30am weekdays. Register here.Support South Africa’s bastion of independent journalism, offering balanced insights on investments, business, and the political economy, by joining BizNews Premium. Register here.If you prefer WhatsApp for updates, sign up to the BizNews channel here..Watch here.Listen here.BizNews Reporter.When Pieter Groenewald took the call from President Cyril Ramaphosa on a Sunday evening in June last year, the Freedom Front Plus leader was not expecting an offer to head South Africa’s prisons. His party had repeatedly stated it would not accept executive posts in a government of national unity. The policy was clear: no ministries, only strategic parliamentary committee chairs.By that night’s end, Groenewald was the Minister of Correctional Services. The decision, he admits, was not unanimous among his party’s federal executive. But it was made, and with it came a portfolio many consider the “hospital pass” of cabinet – underfunded, overcrowded, and plagued by public distrust.A year later, Groenewald has had a ground-level education in just how broken the system is.The Numbers Tell the StorySouth Africa’s prisons hold about 107,000 sentenced inmates – a number that matches available beds. But the crisis lies in the 58,000 awaiting trial. Some have been in limbo for more than a decade.“I have six remand detainees who have been waiting over ten years for trial,” Groenewald says. “Three thousand people are in prison because they couldn’t afford bail of a thousand rand or less – some as little as R100.”For him, it’s not just a moral outrage – it’s a waste of taxpayer money. With an average daily cost of R463 per inmate, that’s millions spent keeping people behind bars for what are often minor offences.Then there’s the issue of foreign nationals. South Africa’s prisons hold around 25,000 foreigners, more than half of them awaiting trial. Deportation could save over R11 million a day, but current legislation prevents it. Groenewald is pushing for amendments to change that.The Budget SqueezeCorrectional Services’ budget has been cut over the past five years to R11.7 billion, forcing Groenewald to get creative. His solution: self-sufficiency. The department is expanding its 21 farms, 115 smaller agricultural sites, and 11 bakeries to produce more food internally. Uniforms and shoes are made in prison workshops.These measures, he says, saved R500 million last year – but they’re not just about money. “You cannot let prisoners just sit and do nothing. Work is part of rehabilitation.”Crime from InsideOne of the most disturbing realities Groenewald faces is that crime continues from within prison walls. Cell phones are a major enabler. New technology can block signals without affecting nearby communities, but it comes at a steep cost. A pilot rollout is underway at priority prisons.Rehabilitation vs. RealitySouth African prisons, Groenewald concedes, have a reputation for producing “more rotten” criminals than they take in – especially among young people jailed for petty theft because they couldn’t pay bail.It’s here he steps into controversial territory, calling for a debate on reintroducing corporal punishment. “If people knew what happens in overcrowded cells – including rape – they’d see that corporal punishment is the lesser evil.”The same goes for the death penalty. Since its abolition, the number of inmates serving life sentences has ballooned from about 4,000 in 1994 to nearly 19,000 today. While acknowledging constitutional hurdles, Groenewald believes the spike raises questions about deterrence.“I believe in human rights,” he says, “but when you commit a crime, you’ve violated someone else’s basic rights. You must pay the price.”Parole: A Balancing ActAll parole applications for life-sentenced prisoners land on Groenewald’s desk. His policy is strict: if there’s a moderate or high risk of reoffending, parole is denied.But rehabilitation remains part of the mission. “We must do everything possible to reintegrate offenders into society. The rights of victims and law-abiding citizens are just as important.”The Bigger PictureGroenewald is under no illusion that prisons can be fixed in isolation. The criminal justice system’s failures start with police investigations and court backlogs.“We must solve the whole puzzle, not just a piece of it,” he says. That includes pushing to have Correctional Services reinstated as part of the Security Council – a move he’s already secured presidential approval for, opening access to new funding channels.A Tough Job with No Quick FixFor now, Groenewald’s work is a mix of firefighting and long-term planning. Overcrowding, budget constraints, foreign prisoner costs, and broken court processes aren’t problems that disappear overnight.But in his own words, “We must be honest with each other and look at all options – even the controversial ones – if we are going to protect society and fix the system.”From debates on corporal punishment to pushing self-sustaining prison farms, Pieter Groenewald’s approach blends pragmatism with provocation. Whether it will be enough to change a system many South Africans see as beyond repair remains to be seen.

SA Prisons Minister addresses death penalty, corporal punishment and broken Criminal Justice system

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