More than 160 prisoners have escaped from police custody in the Eastern Cape over the past three financial years, with a further 30 already recorded this year. These escapes expose serious failures in supervision, compliance, and consequence management within the provincial safety system.
Accused criminals are walking free while families are left anxious, and communities lose faith in the SAPS ability to protect them. Victims are forced to relive trauma, residents are left wondering who is back on their streets, and honest police officers are undermined by weak oversight and poor consequence management.
The Democratic Alliance (DA) will be writing to the Community Safety MEC, Xolile Nqatha, demanding urgent intervention and a clear accountability plan to prevent further escapes. This includes immediate reporting on disciplinary outcomes, stricter compliance enforcement at station level, and decisive action against negligence.
In response to a parliamentary question, MEC Nqatha confirmed that 43 prisoners escaped in 2022/23, rising sharply to 58 in 2023/24, followed by 36 in 2024/25, and 30 more already in the current financial year.
Despite rearrests, a disturbing number remain at large, including 22 in 2022/23, 26 in 2023/24, 17 in 2024/25, and 17 this year.
The Department acknowledges that escapes are often linked to wrongful release, transportation failures, and official negligence.
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This problem is exacerbated by the condition of police holding facilities. An oversight report debated last week confirms that many stations cannot use their holding cells because they are unsafe or unfit for purpose, forcing detainees to be transported to other stations at additional cost and with increased escape risk.
In Thornhill, there are no holding cells, while at KwaBhaca, cells are unusable due to dilapidated infrastructure.
The Legislature has formally recommended that SAPS urgently assist stations in establishing proper holding cells.
Eastern Cape residents deserve to feel safe in their homes and confident that those arrested will remain in custody.
The DA remains committed to holding the provincial government accountable and to building a community safety system rooted in professionalism, responsibility, and respect for the rule of law.
The people of the Eastern Cape deserve leadership that delivers, and a future built on dignity, security, and honest government.