JOHANNESBURG - President Cyril Ramaphosa has announced the release of many low key offenders from South African prisons due to overcrowding.
This might see about 24,000 prisoners go free, including 3,000 deportees.
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Correctional Services spokesperson Singabakho Nxumalo said, "In as much as we are experiencing overcrowding but it is not at a stage where we could say the wellbeing of inmates is now at a dire state where we have no alternative."
"We do have facilities where we can transfer inmates with healthcare needs in case they need to do so but the overcrowding that we have yes it is there but we are surviving."
"47-percent that is very high and that has been made worse by the situation that we aware off we had to now transfer 3,202 inmates that has really strained us a lot because we have lost a lot of beds there at the facilities that are taking those inmates.”