Few have applied to get criminal records erased

A JOHANNESBURG IT security architect struggled for years to get a job due to a 23-year-old conviction relating to a "stupid prank" hanging over his head.

But last year, the man's criminal record, with a conviction of property damage he had committed as a "naughty" student, was erased.

He is one of only 23853 South Africans who have taken advantage of the Criminal Procedure Amendment Act which since 2009 has allowed certain categories of criminal records to be expunged.

"If you think of all the people convicted over the last 20 years, 23853 is really a very small number," Community Law Centre project head Lukas Muntingh said.

Only those convicted of a minor offence, determined by the type of sentence imposed, 10 or more years ago, qualify for the expungement of criminal records.

The sentence must have been a suspended jail term, correctional supervision or a fine.

The law excludes individuals convicted of a sexual offence against a child and whose names had been included in the National Register for Sex Offenders. - Nivashni Nair