In just a year, the Cape Flats has become home for 2 395 parolees and shockingly, 254 have reoffended - a 10.6% recidivism rate in one year.
This is according to Nicholas Gotsell, DA MP and member on the Select Committee on Security and Justice, who has written to the National Commissioner of Correctional Services to request an urgent reform of the current parole system.
In a parliamentary reply from the Minister of Correctional Services, Pieter Groenewald, he highlighted the dangerous link between parole policy failures and the ongoing gang and drug wars plaguing the Cape Flats.
Gotsell said he believed it was important to relook at parole systems and how decisions were made.
Last week, the Judicial Inspectorate of Correctional Service (JICS) met with the Select Committee on Security and Justice, and pointed out major deficiencies and dysfunctions in the parole system, of which Gotsell said they called for a review.
“Between February last year and February 2025, across the Cape Flats 2 395 parolees were released into communities, and shockingly 254 have reoffended – which is a very disturbing 10.6% recidivism rate in one year,” he said.
“The recidivism rate in hotspots like Delft and Elsies River is even higher.
"In the same period, 201 parolees were released in Delft, with 73 parolees having reoffended in the same period. This is a shocking 36.3% re-offence rate.
“In Elsies River, 172 parolees were released, with 52 reoffending.
"This comprises more than half of all reoffenders across the region doing so in Delft and Elsies River, where communities are basically imprisoned in their homes due to crime.
“Crucially, 27 of the reoffenders committed crimes involving firearms; a chilling statistic in the context of the gang turf wars and drug-related violence that continue to destabilise these communities.
“These individuals had been sentenced to a combined 408 years but served only 176 years collectively; an average of just 43% of their original sentences before being released on parole.
"The chances of rehabilitation having taken place in these short periods of incarceration is small.
“The DA has written to the National Commissioner of Correctional Services to request urgent reform of our current parole system.
“An existing, but ignored policy position paper on parole boards must be issued and must be published by the Department of Correctional Services, so that Parliament can start the process to re-engineer the parole system to stop alarming levels of re-offending.”
Groenewald's office has yet to respond to queries.
In a separate parliamentary reply and question, Makakushle Gana, MP, asked Groenewald in February 2025 for the total number of prisoners who were serving life, that were released out on parole during 2022/23 and 2023/24 financial years.
Groenewald said for 2022/23, 362 prisoners were released on parole while 703 were released during 2023/24.
In answering how many had their parole cancelled respectively for the financial years mentioned, he said 17 for 2022/23 and 19 for 2023/24.
Cape Argus