Escaped prisoner Edward Khomotso Madiba, who fled from the Rooigrond Maximum Correctional Centre near Mahikeng in the North West on Sunday, has been recaptured.
Correctional Services confirmed that Madiba was apprehended at a flat in Brits on Wednesday, less than 72 hours after he escaped. He has been transferred to the high-security Kgosi Mampuru II Correctional Centre C-Max following his recapture.
Madiba spent three days on the run after breaking out of Rooigrond. During this period, Correctional Services said, he moved through several locations in the North West before eventually reaching Brits.
Speaking during a media briefing on Thursday, Correctional Services commissioner Makgothi Samuel Thobakgale said the National Tracing Team was activated within hours of the escape being reported and that it was joined by other teams in the department.
“I am here today (Thursday) to confirm that offender Edward Khomotso Madiba has been apprehended and is back in custody. The National Tracing Team was activated within hours on Sunday, and they were joined by other teams in the department,” he added.
Thobakgale said that from the moment the escape was reported, teams remained focused on finding and arresting the escapee.
“From the moment the escape was reported, our teams remained on the trail of the escapee. They were persistent, methodical and determined, and it was only a matter of time before he was brought back into custody.”
He also said the apprehension was made within the 72-hour timeframe, highlighting what he described as the department’s ability to track escapees.
Thobakgale continued:
I can confirm that the escapee was apprehended within 72 hours, reaffirming the department’s commitment that offenders who escape from lawful custody will be traced, apprehended and returned to the correctional system.
“We will not relent in pursuing those who attempt to undermine the integrity of our correctional system.”
According to Correctional Services, Madiba’s movements during the manhunt included the Borakalalo Game Reserve, Lebotloane and Damonsville, before he ended up in Brits where he was arrested at a flat.
“Without compromising operational methods and ongoing investigations, I can indicate that the escapee moved through a number of locations in the North West, including the Borakalalo Game Reserve, Lebotloane and Damonsville, before eventually moving to Brits, where he was apprehended at a flat,” he said.
“Our tracing capabilities, supported by technology and cooperation with other law enforcement partners, played an important role in narrowing the search and tracking his movements.
“This outcome demonstrates that the department is not passive when an offender escapes. We activate our capabilities, mobilise our resources and pursue the offender until that person is back in custody.”
Madiba had previously been held in a single cell at Rooigrond after escaping from the correctional facility on an earlier occasion. After his latest escape, the department had reported that preliminary information suggested he cut through the burglar-bar door of the single cells.
His sentence is for robbery with aggravating circumstances, kidnapping, possession of a firearm and ammunition, and parole violation. Correctional Services also said Madiba was facing a further charge relating to his previous escape when he managed to break out of the single-cell facility.
Before the media briefing on Thursday, authorities had announced that eight officials were suspended pending an investigation into how Madiba escaped and the circumstances surrounding the break-out. Thobakgale made it clear that the recapture would not end the inquiry.
“The successful apprehension of offender Madiba should not be interpreted as the conclusion of this matter. It is an important part of our response, but the department remains seized with establishing the circumstances that led to the escape and determining accountability,” he added.
“Where wrongdoing, negligence or failure to comply with prescribed procedures is established, appropriate action will be taken. We will allow the investigation to take its course, guided by facts and due process.”
Thobakgale stressed that prison escapes are serious and that they can damage public confidence in the correctional system, while also reiterating that the department would act swiftly once the investigation is completed.
“I also want to assure the people of South Africa that the Department of Correctional Services is at work. We recognise the seriousness of an escape and the potential to undermine public confidence in the correctional system. We therefore respond with urgency, discipline and determination.”
He added that the internal investigation is ongoing and that eight officials remain suspended.
“The internal investigation into the circumstances surrounding this escape is continuing. As previously communicated, eight officials remain on suspension pending the conclusion of the relevant processes.”
The commissioner also issued a warning to the public, saying the department would trace those who help escapees and hold them legally accountable.
“To the people of South Africa, the offender is back in custody. The department is at work. Those who escape will be traced. Those who assist them will face the law. And those entrusted with the security of our correctional facilities will be held to account,” he said.
Thobakgale said Correctional Services will use the incident to strengthen security at correctional facilities, improve operational readiness, and continue working with law-enforcement partners.
“I want to conclude by stating that we will continue to strengthen our security measures, improve our operational readiness, hold officials accountable where necessary, and work with our law-enforcement partners to protect the integrity of the correctional system,” he said.
For now, Madiba is back in custody and has been transferred to a high-security facility, but the department has made it clear that work remains to understand exactly how the escape happened and whether failures occurred inside Rooigrond’s security systems.
