United Nations experts on torture prevention have urged South African government to swiftly pass legislation establishing a national watchdog to conduct routine inspections of prisons, detention facilities, and other facilities to put an end to torture in the country

The call came at the conclusion of the Subcommittee on Prevention of Torture  SPT’s first visit to South Africa, which took place from February 26 to March 9. 

In 2019, South Africa ratified the Optional Protocol to the Convention Against Torture.

“There is an urgent need for South Africa to fully establish a national preventive mechanism, according to the commitment it made four years ago and in full compliance with the Optional Protocol,” SPT head of delegation, Abdallah Ounnir, said. 

In order to prevent torture and other forms of ill-treatment in the nation, Mr Ounnir explained that the national preventive mechanism should have a completely independent monitoring body with the authority to visit all places of detention.

The delegation criticised the nation’s response to crime and noted that the overuse of liberty deprivation across sectors, including prisons, police stations, immigration facilities, mental health facilities, and drug treatment centres, reflects a de facto punitive approach rather than a rehabilitative one.

“The high number of remand detainees and overcrowding in detention places reflect deficiencies in the criminal justice system and the judiciary. The delegation received allegations of corruption within facilities. We also observed entrenched inhuman practices, ill-treatment, and poor detention conditions,” Mr Ounnir added.