KwaZulu-Natal police commissioner Nhlanhla Mkhwanazi highlights the urgent need for more prisons in South Africa, citing overcrowded facilities and a backlog in the justice system as key factors contributing to rising crime rates.
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KwaZulu-Natal police commissioner Lieutenant-General Nhlanhla Mkhwanazi says South Africa may need to build more prisons as overcrowded correctional facilities and backlogged courts continue to weaken the fight against crime.
Speaking during a provincial stakeholder engagement on undocumented migration and criminality in Durban, Mkhwanazi painted a grim picture of a criminal justice system under pressure, saying many convicted offenders were returning to the streets shortly after arrest.
“I think we’ve reached a stage in our country that we must build more prisons because there is criminality everywhere,” Mkhwanazi said.
The provincial commissioner said police officers were increasingly frustrated after repeatedly arresting suspects, particularly drug dealers, only to see them receive lighter sentences or alternative punishment because of overcrowding in prisons.
“The court roll becomes too long, and the case is delayed,” he said.
“What we see as the police is that we are struggling to take them through the court process. They get found guilty and are given a lesser sentence. They come back to the streets and continue doing the same thing.”
Mkhwanazi explained that while major drug traffickers often ended up behind bars, smaller street-level dealers frequently avoided direct imprisonment despite convictions.
“The chances of finding a person dealing with drugs in a small consignment inside prison are minimal,” he said.
“The person who’s got a big consignment of drugs definitely ends up in correctional services, but the ones you find on the street, for those to end up in prison it is very difficult.”
He attributed this largely to overcrowding in correctional centres and strain across the broader justice system, including shortages of prosecutors and delays in forensic testing.
The remarks came during a broader discussion involving KwaZulu-Natal Premier Thami Ntuli, law enforcement agencies, municipalities, and civil society organisations on undocumented migration and crime in the province.
Ntuli reiterated the provincial government’s hardline position on undocumented foreign nationals, saying people living in South Africa illegally “must go back to their countries”.
“To be here, you must be here legally,” Ntuli said.
He insisted, however, that the government’s stance was not xenophobic but focused on enforcing the law and protecting communities from criminal syndicates exploiting weaknesses in immigration controls.
Meanwhile, March and March founder Jacinta Ngobese-Zuma accused the government of failing ordinary South Africans by allowing illegal immigration to spiral out of control.
She claimed communities across the country were demanding intervention and said public frustration was growing because residents felt abandoned.
“Every single community is affected,” Ngobese-Zuma said.
The stakeholder meeting forms part of ongoing engagements by the KwaZulu-Natal government ahead of a planned provincial programme of action expected to be unveiled in June.
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