12 May 2026, GHC

Speaker 3

Strengthening oversight, immigration management and constitutional accountability in correctional services

Honourable Mzwanele Major Sokopo

4 Minutes

Greetings House Chairperson,

Minister,

Deputy Minister,

Honourable Members,

By this stage of the debate, one thing should be clear: if leadership, immigration management and oversight are weak, the rest of our good intentions in correctional services simply evaporate. A capable, ethical and developmental state in this sector requires leadership in DCS that is not afraid to confront difficult truths and fix what is broken, instead of polishing quarterly reports while problems grow in the shadows.

A major pressure point in the budget is the management of undocumented foreign nationals in our facilities. Our stance as the ANC is straightforward: where foreign nationals have completed their sentences or are no longer required in ongoing legal processes, the state must move with greater urgency to process their status and, where appropriate, deport them in line with the Constitution, our immigration legislation and international obligations.

And, Honourable Members, in making this call we are equally clear: we say no to xenophobia. Firm, lawful management of immigration issues can never be an excuse for hatred or scapegoating of foreign nationals.

House Chair,

Oversight in this committee is not a decorative accessory; it is the safety valve of a constitutional democracy. Officials from the Judicial Inspectorate for Correctional Services must be able to walk into any centre, speak to any inmate or official, and report honestly to the country. This first requires that key vacancies are filled, resources are predictable and sufficient, and that there is zero tolerance for any attempt – subtle or otherwise – to influence what they investigate or what they report. An oversight body that has to tiptoe around power cannot protect rights.

As we mark 30 years of constitutional democracy, we must ask ourselves: do our correctional centres reflect the society we are trying to build, or the injustices we are trying to leave behind? With all its challenges and imperfections, Budget Vote 22 gives us tools to move in that direction – to tackle overcrowding, strengthen security, support officials, invest in rehabilitation and build a new generation of ethical correctional leaders.

House Chairperson, if we are serious about constitutional accountability, then these governance questions cannot be treated as footnotes to the Budget. Weak coordination on undocumented foreign national’s feeds overcrowding. An under resourced JICS opens the door to abuse and mismanagement. Opaque relationships in the correctional environment erodes public trust.

Budget Vote 22 must therefore be implemented in a way that tightens coordination on immigration, strengthens genuinely independent oversight and insists on transparency from all players inside this system.

The choice, Honourable Members, is ours and history will record very clearly which side of that choice we took.

For our part, and with these expectations firmly on the record, the African National Congress reaffirms its support for this 2026/2027 Budget .