Correctional Services Minister Dr Pieter Groenewald has revealed that there are only 167 343 total inmates currently behind bars in South Africa’s prisons. This was in response to a written parliamentary question by Build One South Africa (BOSA) attached here.
Given the high levels of violent and serious crime in the country, that only 0.2% of the population is in prison for committing crimes highlights a criminal justice system that fails to deliver justice.
When weighed against more than 1.3 million serious crimes reported annually, this figure exposes the breakdown between crime committed, cases investigated, and justice delivered as is being revealed at the Madlanga Commission of Inquiry, and Parliament’s Ad Hoc Committee Inquiry.
Of the entirety of those behind bars across the country:
- 59 887 are unsentenced inmates waiting for sentencing
- 107 456 have been sentenced and are serving those sentences.
- 26 917 offenders are incarcerated for sexual offences
This crisis is compounded by a chronic shortage of detectives within SAPS. In June 2025, BOSA received a written parliamentary reply from the Minister of Police revealing that SAPS is currently short of 2 344 detectives nationwide. This shortage means thousands of criminal cases are going cold, investigations are left incomplete, and victims are denied justice.
The consequence is a society where criminals act with impunity while law-abiding citizens live in fear. With case files piling up on the desks of overburdened detectives, the justice system has become dysfunctional.
With the process now underway to appoint a new National Director of Public Prosecutions (NDPP), BOSA calls for a decisive change in leadership and performance at the National Prosecuting Authority.
Over the past six years, the NPA under Advocate Shamila Batohi has failed to secure meaningful convictions in major corruption and violent crime cases. Despite countless commissions, task teams, and promises, accountability for serious crime and state capture remains elusive.
This failure falls squarely on the legacy of President Cyril Ramaphosa, who promised a “new dawn” of justice but has instead presided over a period of drift, delay, and collapse in prosecutions.
BOSA reiterates that South Africa needs an NDPP who is independent, fearless, and performance-driven to restore public confidence in the rule of law and ensure that criminals face real consequences. The next NDPP appointment has to be an individual with the experience to rebuild the credibility of the justice system itself.
South Africans deserve a justice system that protects the innocent, punishes the guilty, and restores faith in the rule of law. Right now, the system is failing on all three counts.
BOSA will continue to expose the inefficiencies and neglect within the justice system and fight for a South Africa where justice is served.
Media Enquiries: Roger Solomons – BOSA Spokesperson – 072 299 3551