'REMOVE MISLEADING OFFICIALS'

THE Minister of Correctional services has been called on to fire officials who misled him after bandiete slipped through the cracks and committed crimes on the streets of Cape Town.

Following an oversight visit to Pollsmoor prison earlier this month, DA MP Nicholas Gotsell wrote to minister Pieter Groenewald on the discovery that three convicted remand detainees were on the loose.

Gotsell said: “The three men—convicted of murder, rape, and robbery—were remanded to Pollsmoor Juvenile Centre by order of the Western Cape High Court after attacking a child youth care worker last year.”

One of the accused was Xolani du Preez who was convicted for murder of Suritha Alting in November 2023 and was sentenced to two years and 245 days in the child youth care facility and eight year in the Parow Regional Court after pleading guilty to her murder.

However, the Daily Voice broke the news that he was arrested in April for robbing a Table View dad of his cellphone.

The second remand detainee Mikyle Mentoor was apprehended last week after whistle-blowers and the community responded to DA pressure, while the third convicted rapist remains unaccounted for.

Gotsell added: “The Minister’s attempt to shift blame to the Western Cape Department of Social Development is misleading. That department has no role in custodial decisions, warrants, or the implementation of court orders. Those responsibilities fall squarely on Correctional Services and the courts—as clearly set out in the court order.

“It took Minister Groenewald two weeks to respond to DA questions and begin what he calls a “preliminary investigation.” 

“Had the DA not intervened, the public would still be unaware that two violent offenders were missing. The Minister insists it is “inaccurate” to say the men were missing—but that is exactly what they were, and one remains so.

“The officials who misled Parliament on 12 May must be removed from any internal investigations due to a clear conflict of interest. The DA will continue pushing for full accountability and a correctional system that the public can trust.”