Third detainee breakout in a month sparks calls for police commissioner to face Parliament.
The Democratic Alliance has launched a scathing attack on the Provincial Police Commissioner following yet another escape from police custody, this time involving a 17-year-old theft suspect who fled from Bellville police holding cells on 19 November, before his court proceedings were due to begin.
Ryan Manuel, facing theft charges, managed to escape from what are supposed to be high-security holding facilities at Bellville Police Station. The police designed the cells to safely detain hundreds of violent offenders daily, making the security breach particularly concerning for local residents.
Even though police tracked down and rearrested the teenager in Durbanville three days later questions still remain over a series of escapes from police custody that have occurred recently, this one the third in under a month, similar breakouts having occurred from Wynberg and Strand. police stations. It has revealed alarming weaknesses in police security systems across the Western Cape:
- Wynberg escape – Details remain undisclosed by the police
- Strand escape – No public explanation provided by authorities
- Bellville escape – 17-year-old theft suspect flees high-security cells
- Additional incident – A convicted rapist also recently escaped from Helderstroom Maximum Prison
We’re seeing a pattern of systemic failure in police cell-block security and discipline that cannot be ignored
Despite these serious breaches the police have failed to provide public explanations, announce suspensions or reveal what consequences those responsible have faced.
DA Member of Parliament Nicholas Gotsell has strongly condemned the repeated security failures and is demanding immediate accountability from Provincial Police Commissioner Lt Gen Thembisile Patekile.
“These dangerous escapes put our communities at direct risk,” he said. “We’re seeing a pattern of systemic failure in police cell-block security and discipline that cannot be ignored.”
The DA has particular criticism for Patekile, accusing him of failing to respond to formal correspondence about security concerns, of refusing to address Parliament despite official requests, reinstating officers dismissed for serious misconduct and dismissing security concerns as mere “TikTok issues”.
Commissioner under fire
Perhaps most troubling for community-safety advocates is the DA’s revelation that Patekile overturned dismissals of officers found guilty of serious misconduct or criminal offences. Patekile justified the reinstatements on the weak grounds that the “relationship between them and the South African Police Service has not broken down irretrievably.”
This approach creates what the DA calls a culture of impunity within the police, where officers face no real consequences for misconduct.
The DA has formally written to the chairperson of the Select Committee on Security and Justice, requesting that the commissioner be summoned to Parliament before the year’s end to account for:
1. The specifics of the three recent escapes in Wynberg, Strand and Bellville
2. The breakdown in police discipline and holding-cell security
3. The measures being implemented to prevent further security breaches
For residents across the Northern Suburbs these escapes represent more than just administrative failures; they’re a direct threat to family safety and community security.
Our communities deserve better than a police commissioner who treats serious security breaches as social media jokes
“Dangerous suspects who escape from custody are returning to the very communities they threaten,” Gotsell pointed out. “In a province already battling soaring crime rates we cannot afford this level of incompetence from our police leadership.”
He said the systemic failure in police security and discipline was particularly concerning given the Western Cape’s ongoing struggles with violent crime. Communities need assurance that when dangerous individuals are arrested they will remain in secure custody until their court appearances, Gotsell pointed out.
He said the DA was questioning whether the commissioner is fit to lead the provincial police force, suggesting his dismissive attitude and failure to maintain security standards made him unsuitable for the position.
“Our communities deserve better than a police commissioner who treats serious security breaches as social media jokes,” Gotsell pointed out.
Police spokesperson Wesley Twigg confirmed the escape, then added: “Kindly be advised that the escapee was re-arrested in Durbanville on Saturday 22 November 2025.”
Anyone with information about escaped detainees should contact their nearest police station immediately, or call Crime Stop on 08600 10111.
