NORTH WEST. – The department of correctional services (DCS) has launched a search for a prisoner who escaped from Rooigrond prison near Mahikeng on 6 September. A total of eight DCS officials have received notices of intended suspension pending an investigation into the circumstances surrounding the escape.
Singabakho Nxumalo, DCS spokesperson, says Edward Khomotso Madiba, who was held in a single cell on a further charge related to a previous escape, cut through the cell door grille and escaped from the facility according to preliminary information. Madiba is currently serving a 20-year sentence for robbery with aggravating circumstances, illegal possession of a firearm and ammunition, kidnapping and violation of parole conditions. The DCS has mobilised his security team and is working with other law enforcement agencies to urgently trace and recapture Madiba.
A full investigation has also been instituted by the department into the escape, including the security measures at the facility. The investigation will determine how the escape took place and whether any negligence or security breach contributed to it. The public is asked to report any information about Madiba immediately to law enforcement authorities.
This article is an automatic English translation of a Nuusflits article originally published in Afrikaans. Read the Afrikaans original.
