PRETORIA: South Africa (SA) and Zimbabwe have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) allowing sentenced offenders to serve the remainder of their prison terms in their home countries.

The agreement was signed during the Fourth Session of the SA-Zimbabwe Bi-National Commission in Pretoria and establishes a framework for the interstate transfer of sentenced offenders between the two countries.

The arrangement will enable Zimbabwean nationals convicted and imprisoned in SA to complete their sentences in Zimbabwe, while South Africans incarcerated in Zimbabwe will be eligible to serve the remainder of their terms in SA.

The agreement also provides for broader cooperation in correctional services, including prison administration and information technology.

Minister of Correctional Services Dr Pieter Groenewald said the initiative is not specifically targeted at African foreign nationals but forms part of a broader policy aimed at transferring foreign offenders to their countries of origin.

“No, we’re not targeting inmates from Africa. The reality is, the facts are, that about 98 to 99% of foreigners in our facilities are from Africa,” Groenewald said.

Groenewald said Zimbabwean nationals make up the largest group of foreign inmates in SA correctional facilities, followed by citizens from Mozambique, Malawi and Lesotho. “The other foreigners, we also want to send them back,” Groenewald said.

Groenewald noted that only two United States citizens are currently incarcerated in SA correctional facilities and that the government is also exploring mechanisms to facilitate their transfer.

“But we first have to amend our legislation,” Groenewald said.