In a press briefing after Ramaphosa’s announcement, justice minister Ronald Lamola explained that about 51,063 criminal offenders out of SA's total 233,945 offenders would be granted special remission.
“Through policy reforms, we will ensure that our criminal justice system does not criminalise poverty, most of the people whose sentences will be remitted are individuals who could not afford to pay a fine and bail,” Lamola told the media in Pretoria.
“Therefore, should they be granted parole, they will be released into the system of community corrections as parolees and will be closely monitored by correctional services officials until their sentence expiry dates," said Lamola. Presidential remissions were last exercised in 2012, when former president Jacob Zuma excused 45,033 offenders.
According to Lamola, prisoners who scored from remission of sentences - including under Zuma in 2015 and under former president Thabo Mbeki who, in May 2005 granted special remissions to 65,837 offenders - were incredibly unlikely to reoffend.
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