News Desk Reporter
As the country continues repatriating undocumented foreign nationals, the uMkhonto weSizwe (MK) Party says foreign national prisoners should also be returned to their home countries.
The party argues that billions of rand spent on their incarceration could instead be used to support South Africans.
In a statement, national spokesperson Sifiso Mahlangu said South Africa’s correctional facilities held 27,880 foreign nationals as of June 2026. Of these, 13,266 were sentenced prisoners, while 14,614 were awaiting trial.
He said foreign nationals make up nearly one in six inmates in the country’s prisons.
The party claimed it costs the state between R463 and R500 per inmate each day. It estimated that foreign national prisoners cost taxpayers between R11 million and R11.7 million a day. According to the party, this amounts to about R350 million a month and R4.2 billion a year.
The MK Party also claimed that foreign nationals awaiting trial account for almost half of that cost. It said many have spent more than two years in custody without their cases being finalised.
“This is money that could and should be used to uplift South Africans, expand social grants, create jobs and strengthen healthcare and education,” Mahlangu said.
He called on government to immediately begin repatriating both sentenced prisoners and those awaiting trial. He also urged government to conclude inmate transfer agreements with neighbouring countries. This, he said, would allow offenders to serve their sentences in their home countries.
Mahlangu said the savings should be redirected towards unemployed South Africans, grant recipients and struggling communities. He added that the repatriation process should be completed by 24 September 2026.
“South Africans must know the truth. While millions go hungry and jobless, the government spends R4.2 billion every year on foreign nationals in prison. This is unacceptable,” he said.
Mahlangu said the MK Party would table the matter in Parliament and press for urgent action.
“We call on unemployed citizens, grant recipients and all South Africans to stand with us in insisting that government put South Africans first,” he said.