JOHANNESBURG – The Democratic Alliance says Correctional Services Minister Pieter Groenewald and other senior officials in the department must be held accountable for the missing parolees.
The party has written to Parliament demanding an emergency meeting after a prove revealed that authorities cannot account for nearly 28,000 absconded parolees and prisoners on probation. This includes offenders convicted of serious crimes of murder, rape, kidnapping and armed robbery.
READ | Investigation reveals thousands of parolees unaccounted for
“This is a public safety crisis. When murderers and rapists disappear from the parole system, the state places communities at risk and destroys public confidence in the criminal justice system,” said Janho Engelbrecht, the party’s spokesperson on correctional services.
“Every untraceable parolee shows how badly the state has failed to protect the public," the party added.
But the Department of Correctional Services has rubbished the probe saying almost 53, 000 parolees and probationers are under community correction supervision. It says they are subject to various forms of supervision including office reporting, home supervision, employment verification and rehabilitation intervention.
Singabakho Nxumao, Department spokesperson said in the past five financial years, more than 7,200 absconders have been arrested.