Thousands of violent parole absconders remain untraceable across South Africa while government continues pushing stricter firearm controls for law-abiding citizens, according to Civil Society South Africa (CSSA).

The organisation issued a strongly worded statement on May 28 after reports revealed that nearly 28 000 parole absconders cannot currently be located by the Department of Correctional Services (DCS).

CSSA acts as a collective negotiating and collaborative organisation, representing various non-governmental, community-based, and advocacy sectors in shaping national socioeconomic policy and holding the government accountable.

Investigations by Daily Maverick and amaBhungane found that 27 797 parole absconders are effectively unaccounted for, including convicted murderers, rapists, kidnappers and armed robbers.

According to the reports, 15 860 of these offenders have already been classified as ‘archived absconders’, raising concerns over whether active efforts are still under way to trace them.

The reports further indicated that poor co-ordination and weak integration between the SAPS and the DCS contributed to failures in tracing offenders who disappeared while under parole supervision.

CSSA warned that the situation exposed serious weaknesses in the country’s criminal justice system and posed a direct threat to public safety.

“South Africans are once again being told to trust a system that cannot even keep track of convicted violent offenders already under state supervision,” said Reece Clark, national spokesperson for CSSA.

“You do not abscond parole because you intend to become a law-abiding citizen. These are individuals who have already demonstrated a willingness to ignore the law, violate conditions of release, and disappear into society.”

The organisation linked the revelations to ongoing debates around the proposed Firearms Control Amendment Bill (FCAB), which seeks to tighten restrictions on lawful firearm ownership in South Africa.

Clark argued that government priorities were misplaced at a time when thousands of convicted violent offenders remained beyond the reach of authorities.

“The priorities are completely upside down. Instead of focusing every available resource on tracing violent parole absconders, dismantling criminal networks, and restoring consequence for violent crime, government remains obsessed with making lawful self-defence more difficult for ordinary citizens,” he said.

“The Firearms Control Amendment Bill is not a public safety solution. It is a direct threat to the safety and security of law-abiding South Africans who are already living under extreme levels of violent crime.”

The Bill has drawn significant criticism from gun rights groups, civil society organisations, and some opposition parties since it was first proposed. Critics argue that tighter firearm restrictions would disproportionately affect legal firearm owners while failing to curb illegal firearms and organised crime.

Supporters of the proposed amendments have maintained that stricter firearm regulations could help reduce gun violence and improve public safety.

Clark said the latest revelations surrounding parole absconders highlighted broader failures within law enforcement and correctional systems.

He argued that ordinary South Africans were increasingly expected to rely on state protection despite repeated breakdowns in policing, investigations, and offender monitoring.

“South Africans are repeatedly expected to surrender practical means of self-protection while the same state struggles to secure convictions, police communities effectively, process firearm licences efficiently or even monitor dangerous offenders already within the correctional system,” Clark said.

“The social contract breaks down when government cannot perform its most basic duty of protecting citizens, yet simultaneously seeks to remove citizens’ ability to protect themselves.”

CSSA renewed its opposition to the Bill and called on government to prioritise violent crime enforcement instead of additional firearm restrictions.

The organisation said greater attention should be directed toward tracing parole absconders, strengthening intelligence-led policing, improving co-operation between law enforcement agencies and restoring accountability within the criminal justice system.

The DCS has not publicly responded in detail to the concerns raised following the reports into the scale of parole absconders. The revelations are likely to intensify scrutiny over parole monitoring systems and co-operation between correctional authorities and police.

The issue also adds to growing public concern over violent crime levels and the capacity of state institutions to manage offenders once released back into communities under supervised conditions.

Questions have been put to the DCS but no answers have been received at the time of publication.

ALSO READ: School shooting dispute sparks concerns about violent threats

Do you have more information about the story?

Please send us an email to bennittb@rekord.co.za or phone us on 083 625 4114.

For free breaking and community news, visit Rekord’s websites:Rekord East

For more news and interesting articles, like Rekord on Facebook, follow us on Twitter

or Instagram or TikTok or WhatsApp Channel