He escaped same maximum security prison. He’s done it again
MAHIKENG — An inmate serving 20 years for serious crimes has escaped from Rooigrond Maximum Correctional Centre near Mahikeng for at least the second time, triggering a manhunt and an investigation that has placed eight correctional officials at risk of suspension.
Edward Khomotso Madiba was being held in the prison’s single cells specifically while facing an additional charge arising from a previous escape from the same correctional centre, according to the Department of Correctional Services.
That history has turned the latest escape into more than a search for a fugitive. It raises questions about how an inmate already known to have escaped from Rooigrond could allegedly cut his way through the burglar bar door of a single cell inside a maximum security facility and escape again.
Madiba is serving a 20 year sentence for robbery with aggravating circumstances, possession of a firearm and ammunition, kidnapping and a parole violation.
“Preliminary information indicates that offender Madiba cut through the burglar bar door of the single cells,” Correctional Services said.
The department has activated its security teams and is working with other law enforcement agencies to find Madiba, warning that locating and returning him to custody is being treated as a matter of urgency.
The circumstances have also immediately shifted scrutiny towards security inside Rooigrond. Eight officials have been served with notices informing them that their suspension is being contemplated while investigators establish how Madiba was able to escape.
The notices do not establish wrongdoing by the officials, and the department has not said that any of them assisted Madiba. The investigation is intended to determine whether negligence, failures in security procedures or another breach contributed to the escape.
The central question is likely to be how Madiba obtained or accessed whatever was used to cut through the burglar bar door and whether the damage should have been detected before he was able to leave the secure area. Correctional Services has not yet disclosed when the escape was discovered, how long Madiba may have had to breach the cell security or precisely how he subsequently got out of the correctional centre.
Those unanswered questions are particularly significant because Madiba’s previous escape meant authorities were already aware that he presented an escape risk. His placement in the single cells appears to have been intended to provide tighter control while he faced the additional charge linked to that earlier incident.
Correctional Services said a full investigation has now been instituted into both the escape and security arrangements at Rooigrond.
“This is to establish how the escape occurred and to determine whether any negligence or breach of security contributed to the incident,” the department said.
The incident also carries an immediate public safety concern because of the offences for which Madiba was convicted. Authorities have asked anyone with information about his whereabouts to contact law enforcement rather than attempting to intervene themselves.
For Correctional Services, apprehending Madiba will resolve only one part of the problem. The internal investigation must still explain how a prisoner with a previous escape history managed to breach security at the same maximum security correctional centre again, and whether failures by officials or weaknesses in the facility made that possible.
Anyone with additional information can contact the press desk at press@townpress.co.za.