How staff shortages in South Africa's prisons compromise safety and healthcare
Staff shortages are causing security lapses in Correctional centres.
Image: File
Minister of Correctional Services Pieter Groenewald has warned that staff shortages in the Department of Correctional Services pose significant risks to safety, security, and service delivery in prisons, in response to a parliamentary question from MK Party MP Lungisani Shangase.
"Staff shortages within the Department of Correctional Services (DCS) create a compounding effect where security risks and service delivery failures reinforce one another," said Groenewald.
"There is erosion of rehabilitation services under the ‘Care’ and ‘Development’ programs intended to reduce recidivism, as well as operational and infrastructure decay caused by high vacancy rate of engineers and facilities management.”
Groenewald further said correctional official shortages result in security lapses, delay in emergency response, contraband and inmate violence.
He said shortages also affect medical services, leading to poor healthcare access and increased unnatural deaths, and social services, resulting in reduced rehabilitation and higher recidivism rates.
In addition, he warned that facilities management shortages contribute to deteriorating infrastructure and failed security technology.
He said the department has begun large-scale recruitment drives, including plans to recruit and train entry-level correctional officials through the Correctional Services Learnership Programme from 2025 through 2030.
He added that a total of 2 543 learners have been enrolled for the 2025/26 financial year.
Correctional Services Minister Pieter Groenewald warns staff shortages are causing security lapses, violence and poor healthcare in prisons, as the department rolls out large-scale recruitment to strengthen correctional service capacity.
Image: GCIS
“The Correctional Services Learnership Programme is the primary source of new correctional official,'' he said.
Groenewald added that the department advertised 1 187 posts, of which 505 have been filled.
He said recruitment is being focused on scarce and critical skills due to budget constraints, including medical doctors, psychologists, social workers and engineers.
He added that the department is implementing an e-recruitment system because manual, paper-driven processes are a major bottleneck in the recruitment value chain.
The department is also implementing workforce planning to forecast retirements and resignations to reduce vacancy rates, and is working with the Department of Health to place psychologists and pharmacists in correctional facilities.