By Akani Nkuna
Build One South Africa (BOSA) has lambasted the country’s low criminal prosecution rate, saying it reflects a justice system that is failing in its mandate while citizens contend with persistently high levels of violent crime.
The party also said that under the leadership of National Director of Public Prosecution (NDPP) Shamila Batohi, prosecutors had “failed to secure meaningful convictions in major corruption and violent crime cases”. This, however, fell squarely on the shoulders of President Cyril Ramaphosa, according to the party.
In a statement on Tuesday, BOSA spokesperson Roger Solomons said a shortage of detectives across the country was a major contributing factor to the low prosecution rate, noting that investigations are often delayed or poorly executed as a result.
“The consequence is a society where criminals act with impunity while law-abiding citizens live in fear. With case files piling up on the desks of overburdened detectives, the justice system has become dysfunctional,” said Solomons.
“Given the high levels of violent and serious crime in the country, that only 0.2% of the population is in prison for committing crimes highlights a criminal justice system that fails to deliver justice.
“When weighed against more than 1.3 million serious crimes reported annually, this figure exposes the breakdown between crime committed, cases investigated, and justice delivered as is being revealed at the Madlanga Commission of Inquiry, and Parliament’s Ad Hoc Committee Inquiry,” said Solomons.
BOSA’s statement comes after the party received a response to a parliamentary questions asked of Correctional Services Minister, Pieter Groenewald.
In his written response, Groenewald said that as of 16 September, there were 167 343 inmates in correctional facilities across the country. Of those, 59 887 were unsentenced, 107 456 had been sentenced and were serving sentences, and 26 917 had been incarcerated for sexual offences.
Gauteng had the highest number of unsentenced inmates (17 984) and sentenced offenders (23 216).
According to the other statistics supplied by Groenewald, the total inmate population has increased from 140 948 in 2020/2021, to 166 008 in 2024/2025. There were 5,788 female inmates and 160 193 male inmates in 2024/2025.
Speaking about the president’s role in the failures of the justice system, Solomons said: “Despite countless commissions, task teams, and promises, accountability for serious crime and state capture remains elusive. This failure falls squarely on the legacy of President Cyril Ramaphosa, who promised a ‘new dawn’ of justice but has instead presided over a period of drift, delay, and collapse in prosecutions.”
Batohi will reach mandatory retirement age in January 2026, and will have to vacate her office.
Last week, Ramaphosa named the panel who would be selecting the new NDPP. But he was lambasted by the Democratic Alliance for postponing the selection of the panel, and for finally selecting an eight-person panel, led by Minister of Justice and Constitutional Development Mmamoloko Kubayi, which has no expertise in prosecutions or criminal justice.
“BOSA reiterates that South Africa needs an NDPP who is independent, fearless, and performance-driven to restore public confidence in the rule of law and ensure that criminals face real consequences,” Solomons said.
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