JOHANNESBURG - South Africa’s Correctional Services system is under renewed scrutiny following a damning investigation by amaBhungane.
The probe reveals that authorities cannot account for nearly 30,000 absconded parolees and prisoners on probation.
This includes offenders convicted of serious crimes of murder, rape, kidnapping and armed robbery.
The report points to major systemic failures, including poor coordination between Correctional Services and police, collapsed tracing units, prison overcrowding and ineffective electronic monitoring systems.
AmaBhungane journalist Orrin Singh said the department is failing.
"They're not in touch with what's going on on the ground," he said.
Singh said there should be an integrated system between Correctional Services and the SAPS.