Just in: 284 inmates escape police custody

The Select Committee on Security and Justice met with South African Police Service (Saps) management on Wednesday to scrutinise a growing crisis in custody management.

Committee Chairperson Jane Seboletswe Mananiso noted that the meeting was called because of “several recent escapes from custody across the country, which continue to pose a serious challenge to the criminal justice system.”

The numbers behind a growing public safety crisis

Parliament’s Select Committee on Security and Justice heard this week that only 82 of those escapees were rearrested during the same period, leaving more than 200 people unaccounted for.

Between 1 April and 31 December 2025, 284 people escaped from Saps custody, and the overwhelming majority remain free.

The figures were presented to the committee when it summoned Saps management to account for the rising escape rates.

While Saps offered some consolation by noting that the number of escape incidents, rather than escapees, dropped by 9.29% year-on-year, from 226 incidents to 205, the committee was not satisfied.

Fewer incidents producing more escapees points to a worsening situation on the ground, where more people are slipping out during each event.

More people escaping, fewer proportionally being caught

Comparing the periods 1 April to 31 December in both 2024 and 2025, the trend is concerning.

The committee heard that the number of escapees rose by 7.74%, from 262 to 284, while re-arrests increased only marginally, from 76 to 82, a rise of 7.89%.

In real terms, that means for every person rearrested, more than two others remain at large.

According to parliament, Saps acknowledged that preventing escapes “requires strict discipline, constant vigilance, effective supervision, full compliance with prescribed procedures and clear accountability across all levels of command.”

Yet the figures suggest that this standard is far from being consistently met across the country’s police stations and holding facilities.

Mananiso made clear that the consequences for communities are direct and serious, warning that escapes from lawful custody “undermine public confidence in law enforcement and pose a direct threat to community safety.”

Disciplinary system in disarray as fewer than a third of cases are resolved

The escape figures are made worse by what the committee found when it examined how Saps holds its own members accountable.

Of 224 Saps members charged in connection with escape-related disciplinary matters between 1 April and 31 December 2025, only 33 hearings were finalised, a completion rate of just 27.96%.

Saps told the committee it plans to fix this through dedicated disciplinary units, streamlined investigations and stricter timelines.

However, Mananiso was unconvinced by the pace of progress, saying the gaps point to something more fundamental.

“We need to intervene if human error is the issue, possibly through automation. It also appears that Saps lacks a clear strategy for consequence management,” she said.

She was equally blunt about what the unresolved cases mean in practice.

“If cases are not accounted for, there is no plan to address officials who default within the system,” Mananiso said

She added that the committee will keep a close watch on whether Saps follows through on its commitments.

Ageing infrastructure and staff shortages add pressure to an already strained system

Saps did not present the committee with excuses alone.

The service pointed to systemic constraints, including ageing infrastructure and shortages of critical resources, as real factors undermining its ability to keep detainees secured.

These pressures, Saps argued, place additional strain on officers already expected to maintain vigilance around the clock.

The legal obligations are not ambiguous. The Criminal Procedure Act of 1977 criminalises escape from lawful custody, and Saps has national instructions and standard operating procedures specifically designed to prevent it.

According to parliament, the service has “established comprehensive policies, national instructions and standard operating procedures to strengthen preventative measures”, the problem lies in whether those measures are being applied consistently and effectively on the ground.

Mananiso confirmed that the committee will not let the matter rest, reiterating that it “will continue to exercise its oversight mandate by closely monitoring Saps’ response to these challenges.”

Border post bill tabled

In the same session, the committee received a briefing from the Minister of Home Affairs, Dr Leon Schreiber, on the One-Stop Border Post Bill.

The committee has since confirmed it will advertise the Bill for public input, inviting South Africans to participate in shaping how the country manages and modernises its border infrastructure