Dear Editor
The DA has written to the Minister of Correctional Services, Pieter Groenewald, to demand an investigation into all erroneous releases and alleged assisted escapes following the alleged erroneous release of remand detainee, Thembalethu Daba, from Pollsmoor Remand Detention Facility on 09 September 2025.
If confirmed, this would not merely be an administrative error, but a severe indictment of the officials entrusted with public safety.
This incident, which allegedly allowed a medium-risk detainee to walk free under the assumed identity of another inmate, would not have been possible without serious negligence or, more disturbingly, outright collusion by DCS officials.
For an inmate to be processed, handed over to SAPS, and presented in court under a false identity, points to a breakdown at multiple levels of oversight.
This was not a simple mistake; it was a systemic failure enabled by individuals who neglected their duties, potentially compromising community safety and undermining the integrity of the justice system.
The DA will demand that every report of an erroneous release must be treated as a critical security failure and investigated without delay, Those found responsible, whether through gross negligence or deliberate misconduct, must face the full force of the law, including criminal prosecution for aiding an escape.
The DCS must urgently strengthen its verification procedures, enforce strict accountability, and ensure that such a blatant disregard for protocol is never repeated. Public trust depends on it.
Regards
Janho Engelbrecht MP
DA Spokesperson on Correctional Services
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