By Celani Sikhakhane
- Azania Movement Foundation calls on government to explore sending inmates to the Netherlands where prisons stand empty.
- Group says overcrowding in South African prisons violates human dignity and blocks rehabilitation.
A civil society group has called on the South African government to consider sending some prisoners to the Netherlands to deal with overcrowding in local prisons.
The Azania Movement Foundation says several prisons in the Netherlands have been closed or reused because fewer people are being jailed there.
At the same time, South African prisons remain overcrowded, with too many inmates packed into unsafe conditions.
Azania Movement spokesperson Thapelo Mofokeng said overcrowding undermines human dignity, safety and rehabilitation.
He said the situation goes against South Africa’s Constitution, the African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights and the United Nations Nelson Mandela Rules.
Mofokeng said the group wants government to explore legal and treaty based agreements with the Netherlands.
He called on Correctional Services Minister Piet Groenewald and International Relations Minister Ronald Lamola to urgently engage with the Dutch government.
The group says eligible South African inmates could be transferred to Dutch prisons for rehabilitation, education and skills training.
Mofokeng said such cooperation could bring several benefits.
He said it would reduce overcrowding in South African prisons, ensure more humane conditions and improve rehabilitation and reintegration outcomes.
The group also believes South Africa could learn from the Netherlands’ correctional system and apply those practices locally.
Mofokeng said the closure of prisons in the Netherlands while South Africa’s facilities remain overcrowded creates a chance for responsible international cooperation.
The Azania Movement Foundation says its proposal is in line with African Union Agenda 2063 and international human rights standards.
Government has not yet responded to the call.
Pictured above: Leaders of the Azania Movement Foundation calling for prisoners to be transferred to the Netherlands.
Image source: Azania Movement Foundation
