The two inmates who staged a daring escape from Pretoria’s Kgosi Mampuru II prison this week are among 18 prisoners who are on the run from justice.
After Tuesday night’s escape, the department of correctional services (DCS) confirmed to Sowetan that 108 inmates have escaped from its jails since April 1. Of these, 90 have been re-arrested, leaving 18 of them still on the run. The foreign fugitives among the 18 are believed to have gone back to their native countries.
Inmates Thabo Zacharia Muyambo and Johannes Chauke escaped from their cell by using a “self-made hammer to demolish a part of the wall of the single cell”, said DCS spokesperson Singabakho Nxumalo yesterday.
Muyambo had been serving a life sentence for 21 charges including rape, robbery and kidnapping, while Chauke was serving 20 years for housebreaking offences.
“Our investigation will address the circumstances under which the escape took place. We are investigating how they got hold of the hammer,” said Nxumalo.
However, according to inmates Sowetan spoke to yesterday, Muyambo and Chauke used material they stole from the prison’s workshop to make the hammer.
“It’s easy to smuggle this stuff out of the workshop because we work with a lot of equipment which we use when building things like furniture. The prison also made the escape so easy by allowing the two inmates to wear civilian clothing while serving sentences. The prison broke its own protocols,” said one of the inmates.
They also sent Sowetan photos showing how the duo tied a sheet around a burglar bar and used it to climb down the wall.
“We heard the noise around 2am from other inmates from A Section trying to alert the guards that other inmates were escaping. Apparently, there was no guard at the post nearest to that cell,” said an inmate.
Nxumalo said: “Offenders are allowed to have underwater and sports attire while in the centre for sports purposes. The investigation will determine what attire offenders wore when they escaped.”
He said law enforcement officials were hot on the heels of the two escapees.
“The department has also initiated an internal investigation into this incident. Members of the public are urged to contact the nearest police station should they come into contact with them,” said Nxumalo.
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