CMY3704
Assignment 1
Semester 2 2025
Due August 2025
,CMY3704
Assignment 1
Semester 2 2025
Due August 2025
Table of Contents
1. Introduction ................................................................................................................. 2
1.1 Context of Sentencing in South Africa ................................................................... 2
1.2 Outline of Discussion ............................................................................................. 2
2. Definition of Key Concepts .......................................................................................... 4
2.1 Imprisonment ......................................................................................................... 4
2.2 Operational Definition ............................................................................................ 4
3. Forms of Imprisonment in South Africa ....................................................................... 5
3.1 Legal Framework ................................................................................................... 5
3.2 Available Sentencing Options ................................................................................ 5
4. Suitability of Sentencing Options in Mokoena’s Case ................................................. 7
5. Advantages and Disadvantages of Imprisonment ....................................................... 8
6. Impact of Overcrowding and Socio-Economic Factors ................................................ 9
7. Proportionality and Justice of Mokoena’s Sentence .................................................. 10
8. Conclusion ................................................................................................................ 11
References .................................................................................................................... 12
, 1. Introduction
1.1 Context of Sentencing in South Africa
Sentencing in post-apartheid South Africa is a dynamic and contested terrain. It
represents more than the application of law—it is a mirror of the country’s unfinished
transition from structural inequality to substantive justice. The February 2024 sentencing
of Thabo Mokoena, a 34-year-old from Soweto, to 18 years’ imprisonment for armed
robbery, firearm possession, and assault, underscores the fraught relationship between
crime control and social accountability. It also raises deeper philosophical questions
about the purpose of incarceration in a society still grappling with the legacies of
economic exclusion, community destabilisation, and institutional mistrust.
This case unfolded against the backdrop of a national penal crisis. South Africa’s
prisons are operating at 132% of their capacity (Department of Correctional Services,
2023), making them among the most overcrowded globally. This condition severely
compromises rehabilitation, which, paradoxically, remains a constitutional imperative
under Section 35(2)(e) of the Constitution. The COVID-19-era decision to release
19,000 inmates in 2020 (News24, 2020) further exposed the fragility of the system,
prompting calls for a fundamental reimagining of sentencing practices. Mokoena’s case
exemplifies the systemic tension between legal certainty and restorative justice.
1.2 Outline of Discussion
This discussion critically examines the forms of imprisonment available under South
African law, using Mokoena’s case as a vehicle to interrogate legal, institutional, and
normative dimensions of sentencing. It begins by defining key concepts, followed by an
analysis of the legal framework and available sentencing modalities. The suitability of
these options in Mokoena’s case is evaluated through doctrinal and empirical lenses.
This leads into a discussion on the advantages and limitations of incarceration, the
compounding effects of overcrowding and poverty, and a final assessment of the
Assignment 1
Semester 2 2025
Due August 2025
,CMY3704
Assignment 1
Semester 2 2025
Due August 2025
Table of Contents
1. Introduction ................................................................................................................. 2
1.1 Context of Sentencing in South Africa ................................................................... 2
1.2 Outline of Discussion ............................................................................................. 2
2. Definition of Key Concepts .......................................................................................... 4
2.1 Imprisonment ......................................................................................................... 4
2.2 Operational Definition ............................................................................................ 4
3. Forms of Imprisonment in South Africa ....................................................................... 5
3.1 Legal Framework ................................................................................................... 5
3.2 Available Sentencing Options ................................................................................ 5
4. Suitability of Sentencing Options in Mokoena’s Case ................................................. 7
5. Advantages and Disadvantages of Imprisonment ....................................................... 8
6. Impact of Overcrowding and Socio-Economic Factors ................................................ 9
7. Proportionality and Justice of Mokoena’s Sentence .................................................. 10
8. Conclusion ................................................................................................................ 11
References .................................................................................................................... 12
, 1. Introduction
1.1 Context of Sentencing in South Africa
Sentencing in post-apartheid South Africa is a dynamic and contested terrain. It
represents more than the application of law—it is a mirror of the country’s unfinished
transition from structural inequality to substantive justice. The February 2024 sentencing
of Thabo Mokoena, a 34-year-old from Soweto, to 18 years’ imprisonment for armed
robbery, firearm possession, and assault, underscores the fraught relationship between
crime control and social accountability. It also raises deeper philosophical questions
about the purpose of incarceration in a society still grappling with the legacies of
economic exclusion, community destabilisation, and institutional mistrust.
This case unfolded against the backdrop of a national penal crisis. South Africa’s
prisons are operating at 132% of their capacity (Department of Correctional Services,
2023), making them among the most overcrowded globally. This condition severely
compromises rehabilitation, which, paradoxically, remains a constitutional imperative
under Section 35(2)(e) of the Constitution. The COVID-19-era decision to release
19,000 inmates in 2020 (News24, 2020) further exposed the fragility of the system,
prompting calls for a fundamental reimagining of sentencing practices. Mokoena’s case
exemplifies the systemic tension between legal certainty and restorative justice.
1.2 Outline of Discussion
This discussion critically examines the forms of imprisonment available under South
African law, using Mokoena’s case as a vehicle to interrogate legal, institutional, and
normative dimensions of sentencing. It begins by defining key concepts, followed by an
analysis of the legal framework and available sentencing modalities. The suitability of
these options in Mokoena’s case is evaluated through doctrinal and empirical lenses.
This leads into a discussion on the advantages and limitations of incarceration, the
compounding effects of overcrowding and poverty, and a final assessment of the
