Deputy Speaker, the ACDP also thanks the Minister for bringing this important matter before Parliament. It is totally unacceptable that so many detainees can manage to escape from prison, thus exposing our people to danger, as we believe some of the escapees have been arrested for serious crimes.
While we agree that a high-level investigation has to be instituted to investigate this matter, there is no doubt that the officials who were on duty when the escapes took place were negligent. We would, therefore, as the ACDP, support the Minister's decision to summarily dismiss certain officials.
The possibility of corruption must also be investigated. The ACDP questions why a prison official would want to enter a cell with keys if he did not want the detainees to grab them. We also want to know why the head of the awaiting-trial detainees section allowed prison officials to leave early so that he could conduct the handover to the next shift on his own. There must have been an impure motive, hence our call for the possibility of corruption to be investigated; and we will appreciate the report back, Minister, about the results of your investigations. Thank you.