# The MK Party is calling on government to immediately begin repatriating foreign national prisoners, saying the country is spending about 4.2-billion-rand annually to keep them in correctional facilities. As of last month, South Africa’s prisons held 27-thousand-880 foreign nationals, including 13-thousand-266 sentenced inmates and 14-thousand-614 awaiting trial detainees. The MK Party says awaiting trial foreign nationals account for nearly half of the total cost, estimated at 2.2-billion-rand annually. It says this is money that should be used to expand social grants, create jobs and strengthen healthcare and education.
MK Party demands government repatriate all 27,880 foreign national prisoners