File
The South African High Commissioner to Mauritius, Dr Hlamalani Manzini, said she is concerned about the number of South Africans in jail on the island state who were incarcerated on drug trafficking charges.
Dr Manzini said currently there are 38 South Africans incarcerated in Mauritius, 23 men and 15 women.
She shared this “concerning” statistic with the Department of Social Development on Tuesday who sent a delegation to repatriate a child born to a South African woman jailed for drug trafficking.
The child will be brought home to live with its grandmother.
Meanwhile, Dr Manzini said the longest prison sentence imposed on a South African man was 25 years, while the longest imposed on a woman is 15 years imprisonment.
“More significantly, many South Africans are incarcerated for up to six years on average while still awaiting trial with no bail.
“The woman whose child DSD is repatriating has been awaiting trial since her arrest six years ago,” she said.
The High Commissioner highlighted that all of the South African citizens incarcerated in Mauritius, are only for illicit drug trafficking.
“This information highlights the intersection between illicit drug trafficking and the exposure to vulnerability that children and young families can be exposed to.
This conduct contributes not only to the degradation of social and community values, but also the destruction of families,” she added.
