Just on 10% of the close to 176 000 prisoners released in South Africa over the past five years re-offended, the Minister of Correctional Services has revealed.

Janho Engelbrecht, representing the Democratic Alliance (DA) in the National Assembly, was given the numbers by Correctional Services Minister, Pieter Groenewald, the lone Freedom Front Plus (FF+) representative in President Cyril Ramaphosa’s government of national unity (GNU) seventh administration Cabinet.

Annually, in the last five years the single largest number of prisoners let out of jail was in 2019/20 when 43 304 sentenced offenders were released. That year also had the largest number of re-offenders – 7 832. On the other end of the stick the full year with the least released offenders – 28 000 – was 2021/22 with it recording the second lowest re-offender number – 1 617.

The lowest re-offender number “award” belongs to 2020/21 with 1 426 in a year when previous Correctional Services Minister Ronald Lamola, who also had the Justice Ministry in his portfolio, authorised the release of 30 195 prisoners.

This year figures for the April-August period show 11 891 prisoners released and 866 of them nabbed as re-offenders.

All told, in the timeframe requested by Engelbrecht, 175 975 prisoners were allowed out of jail with 17 035 of them either back behind bars or awaiting/undergoing trial after re-offending.