Very Expensive Milk and Cookies

This statement by Lukas Muntingh of the Institute for Security Studies examines the case of Morgan Matlala, a 23-year-old man imprisoned for stealing milk and cookies valued at R50, to highlight systemic failures and inequalities within the South African criminal justice system.

• The case of Morgan Matlala illustrates the financial inefficiency of the criminal justice system; Matlala spent four months in prison awaiting trial for stealing milk and cookies valued at R50, costing the taxpayer an estimated R24,000 based on a daily cost of R200 per prisoner.
• The author argues that the detention of poor individuals is often unnecessary because officials fail to use legal mechanisms to avoid prosecution, such as releasing destitute persons on warning, applying for bail reduction under section 63A of the Criminal Procedure Act, conditional withdrawal of cases, or early plea bargains.
• There is a significant disparity in sentencing between the wealthy and the poor. The author compares Matlala's potential five-year sentence for a R50 theft (37 days per R1) to Schabir Shaik's 15-year sentence for fraud and corruption exceeding R500,000 (approximately 0.01 days per R1).
• Prison overcrowding in South Africa is driven largely by unaffordable bail. The Inspecting Judge of Prisons 2008/9 Annual Report indicated that nearly 8,500 people were imprisoned solely because they could not afford the bail set by courts.

APA

Muntingh, L. (n.d.). Very Expensive Milk and Cookies. Institute for Security Studies. https://issafrica.org/iss-today/very-expensive-milk-and-cookies

Chicago

Muntingh, Lukas. Very Expensive Milk and Cookies. Institute for Security Studies, n.d. https://issafrica.org/iss-today/very-expensive-milk-and-cookies.

Wikipedia

{{cite press release |last1=Muntingh |first1=Lukas |title=Very Expensive Milk and Cookies |publisher=Institute for Security Studies |url=https://issafrica.org/iss-today/very-expensive-milk-and-cookies |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@misc{muntinghndvery, author = {Muntingh, Lukas}, title = {{Very Expensive Milk and Cookies}}, publisher = {Institute for Security Studies}, url = {https://issafrica.org/iss-today/very-expensive-milk-and-cookies}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }