Minister meets officials over missing inmates

CORRECTIONAL Services Minister Pieter Groenewald is expected to meet with relevant department officials about the three inmates who disappeared at Pollsmoor Juvenile Centre in Cape Town.

- MANYANE MANYANE

This comes as the DA is seeking an explanation from the Ministers of Correctional Services and Justice on why the departments failed to implement measures outlined by the court when ordering the detention of the three inmates.

The party said it had written to the chairperson of the Select Committee on Security and Justice, demanding urgent appearances of both ministers.

The DA said that inmates Xolani du Preez, Mikyle Mentoor and Me-Kayle Timmie disappeared at the correctional centre. The three were convicted of various crimes including murder, rape and robbery.

They were minors at the time of their arrests.

Initially, they were held at the Horizon Child and Youth Care Centre due to their age and transferred to Pollsmoor Juvenile Centre in July 2024.

The three men were remanded to Pollsmoor Juvenile Centre by order of the Western Cape High Court after attacking a child youth care worker last year.