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The Portfolio Committee on Justice and Correctional Services has welcomed the arrests of two correctional officers yesterday, who allegedly helped 16 inmates escape from Medium A Johannesburg Correctional Centre recently.

Committee Chairperson Dr Mathole Motshekga said: “The committee was gravely concerned with the recent spate of escapes because the safety of the South African public is paramount.

“We welcome the arrests, as it shows that police and crime intelligence are hard at work in ensuring that the culprits of such acts will not go unpunished.”

The arrests come in the same week as the committee had two meetings with the Minister of Justice and Correctional Services, his deputies and the Department of Correctional Services on its annual performance plan. The escapes were highlighted in the meetings. On Wednesday, Minister Michael Masutha and Deputy Minister Mr Thabang Makwetla both said the “human factor” had aided the escapes.

Yesterday, the committee heard that escapes from correctional facilities were actually on the decrease, despite the recent spate. The committee also heard that in 1995 there were 1 244 escapes, while in the 2016-17 financial year 50 escapes were recorded, 71 in 2015-16, 49 in 2014-15 and 60 in 2012-13. Most of the escaped inmates have been rearrested.

The committee heard that although the “human factor” was involved in escapes, the majority of correctional officers are hardworking, law-abiding public servants. The department managed to foil 80 incidents of attempted escapes between April 2016 and March this year. This the department attributed to vigilant officers who take public safety seriously.

The committee issued a media statement last week in which in indicated that the minister and his deputies needed to address Members of Parliament on the escapes as well as its plan to address this. Dr Motshekga praised the officials who helped apprehend the alleged corrupt correctional officers and said this is an indication that just a few “rotten apples [are] damaging the image of the department”.

Issued by Parliamentary Communication Services on behalf of the Chairperson of the Portfolio Committee on Justice and Correctional Services, Mathole Motshekga