Makgothi Thobakgale conducted an inspection at the facility on Tuesday, following Edward Khomotso Madiba’s escape on Sunday (6/9). Eight officials have been served with notices of contemplation of suspension pending the outcome of an investigation into the circumstances surrounding the escape.

Madiba was being held in a single cell on a further charge related to a previous escape when he allegedly broke out of the correctional centre. Preliminary information indicates Madiba cut through the burglar-bar door of the single cell.

The department of correctional services (DCS) has activated its security detail and is working with other law enforcement agencies to locate and apprehend the escapee as a matter of urgency.

‘He was not acting alone’

Speaking to SABC News, Thobakgale said his inspection of the cell raised questions about whether Madiba could have escaped without assistance.

“If you check the door, the bars could not have been cut from inside the cell; they had to be cut from outside. Secondly, when you examine it, you can see that electronic equipment was used; it was not a manual saw that would have taken days of work. 

“Because of how this escape happened, you can understand why a high number of officials were suspended. The number is eight, and even from preliminary investigations it is clear he was not acting alone.”  

The latest developments have raised questions about security at Rooigrond, with the Police and Prisons Civil Rights Union (Popcru) in North West warning against placing the entire responsibility for prison security on correctional officials.

Popcru provincial secretary Johannes Dire said the incident cannot be separated from longstanding infrastructural challenges confronting the facility.

“Our members cannot become the human substitute for broken infrastructure, delayed maintenance, and years of insufficient investment.”  

He added the latest incident was not the first escape associated with Rooigrond Medium A. In March 2022, Popcru condemned the escape of four inmates from the same centre after they reportedly cut through window bars and used sheets to escape through the facility’s security perimeter.

Dire said the latest escape should force DCS to establish whether vulnerabilities previously identified at the facility were comprehensively addressed and whether the current physical security arrangements remain suitable for the inmate population housed there. He also cautioned against prematurely placing blame on individual correctional officials before the investigation has established exactly what happened.

Popcru is opposed to any premature attempt to make individual correctional officials convenient scapegoats before the circumstances surrounding the latest escape have been properly investigated. 

The investigation is expected to establish how Madiba managed to cut through the cell door, whether security protocols were breached, and whether any officials or other individuals assisted in his escape.

OFM News/Kekeletso Mosebetsi dg

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