FACT CHECK: Are Nigerians Top on South Africa’s Crime Chart? Fresh Official Data Debunks Claims

Contrary to persistent claims by anti-immigrant campaigners in South Africa, fresh official data confirms that Nigerians do not top the country’s prison and crime charts.

According to official statistics released by South Africa’s Minister of Correctional Services, Dr. Pieter Groenewald, Zimbabwean nationals constitute the highest number of incarcerated foreign citizens in the country’s correctional facilities.

Speaking on the State of the Nation podcast hosted by Mike Sham and produced by Stream In Studios, out of approximately 28,000 foreign nationals currently held in South African custodial centres, only about 300 are Nigerian citizens.

Official Breakdown of Foreign Inmates in South Africa

The state department’s official data provides a clear picture of the demographic distribution among convicted foreign detainees within South Africa’s penal system.

According to the minister, the total number of foreign inmates are 28,000. Of that number, about 14,000 are serving sentences. He also confirmed that Zimbabweans top the numbers with approximately 4,000 convicted detainees.

Responding to a direct question, Dr. Groenewald said Nigerian nationals are the least number, with only 300 convicted individuals.

Debunking Recycled Anti-Immigrant Narratives

For years, localized anti-immigrant movements and online campaigns in South Africa have frequently weaponized unverified narratives to label Nigerian immigrants as the primary drivers of local crime.

However, this newly verified data directly contradicts those xenophobic talking points. The numbers show that Nigerian nationals represent just a small fraction—roughly 2.1%—of the total convicted foreign population serving sentences in South African correctional facilities.

Credit: State of the Nation, hosted by Mike Sham, produced by Stream In Studios.