28,000 Parolees Are Untraceable

Statement by Geordin Hill-Lewis – Leader of the Democratic Alliance:

The Democratic Alliance is deeply concerned by the devastating findings of the AmaBhungane investigation that nearly 28,000 parolees are reportedly untraceable.

The DA has long raised alarm about the collapse of effective parole supervision, and these findings confirm what we have warned for years that the Department of Correctional Services is failing to protect the public.

The DA will write to the Portfolio Committee on Correctional Services to request a full parliamentary review of the Community Corrections System. We will also call for a resolution from the Portfolio Committee petitioning the Minister of Correctional Services to issue a request for proposals for GPS-enabled electronic monitoring within 90 days, for a pilot programme to commence within 12 months, and for legislative amendments to ensure mandatory electronic monitoring of all parolees convicted of violent crimes.

The fact that 28,000 offenders have simply disappeared from our parole system is an indictment of the Department, and Minister Pieter Groenewald cannot allow this failure to continue on his watch.

Every untraceable parolee represents a failure of the state to keep communities safe, uphold the law, and ensure that convicted criminals comply with the conditions of their release. This also raises serious questions about the parole system, parole boards, and the criteria used to grant parole.

This is what happens when government fails to govern well. For years, successive administrations have treated parole supervision as an afterthought, with no meaningful investment in real-time tracking, no proper coordination with the South African Police Service, and no accountability for officials who lose contact with high-risk offenders.

The current system is just a revolving door for reoffending.

The DA has proposed to make electronic monitoring the backbone of parole supervision through a modern Community Corrections and Electronic Monitoring System which is proven technology that can track offenders, enforce parole conditions, and keep communities safe.

A DA-led national government would not accept a parole system that loses track of tens of thousands of offenders. It would govern well for all South Africans by using available technology, enforcing accountability, and putting the safety of communities first.