QUOTE
NATIONAL ASSEMBLY
FOR WRITTEN REPLY
QUESTION NO: 2264
PUBLISHED IN INTERNAL QUESTION PAPER NO 28 OF 13 NOVEMBER 2009
Mr K S Mubu (DA) to ask the Minister of International Relations and
Cooperation:
(1) (a) How many South African citizens are imprisoned in foreign
countries as at the latest specified date for which information
is available,
(b) how many of these persons have been convicted of dealing in
drugs and
(c) in each particular country of imprisonment, how many are
(i) men and
(ii) women that were convicted of drug dealing;
(2) Whether any of them have the possibility of serving their terms in
South Africa; if not, what is the position in this regard; if so, how
many?
REPLY:
1) (a) The Department is aware of 1,062 South African citizens
who are incarcerated abroad as on 18 November 2009. The number
reflected are known cases where citizens exercised their right
to request consular assistance in terms of the Vienna Convention
on Consular Relations, 1963.
(b) 691 (65%) of South African citizens are detained (abroad) for
drug related offences.
(c) Appended as Annex A is a breakdown of detentions per country
including the gender for drug related offences.
(i) Male: 362
(ii) Female: 329
(2) Because of Governmentâs Policy not to enter into Prisoner Transfer
Agreements, no prisoner has the possibility of serving their terms in
South Africa.
Where requests for release on humanitarian grounds have been received,
these have been considered according to the approved Departmental
criteria.
UNQUOTE