Issued by: Ministry of Justice
MEDIA STATEMENT ISSUED BY THE OFFICE OF DR A M OMAR MP, MINISTER OF JUSTICE ON THE ESCAPE OF AWAITING TRIAL PRISONERS FROM THE PRETORIA PRISON OVER THE WEEKEND
8 December 1997
The President, at a meeting with three of his Ministers involved in the Criminal Justice System, Ministers Omar, Mufamadi and Mzimela, earlier this morning expressed his deep concern about the escape of prisoners awaiting trial on serious and high profile crimes from the Pretoria Prison over the weekend. The President requested the Ministers to set up an urgent investigation and to report to him as soon as possible.
As a result the Ministers met with their Directors General this morning and decided to set up an investigating team consisting of officials of the three departments to oversee an investigation into the causes and circumstances of the escapes and to establish whether any officials have been involved in the process.
The team will consist of:
1) Director Stefan Grlobler, the Head of the Anti Corruption Unit of the South African Police Service 2) Advocate S Chris Jordaan, a Deputy Attorney General from Pretoria 3) Deputy Commissioner Offender Control Control Department of Correctional services Thami Nxumalo
The team is required to file a preliminary report by 15 December 1997 and its final report by 22 December 1997.
ISSUED ON BEHALF OF DR A M OMAR MP, MINISTER OF JUSTICE BY HIS LIAISON OFFICER, MR PAUL SETSETSE