Durban - An awaiting-trial offender has made a daring escape from a busy Durban hospital by wriggling his way out of shackles, all to avoid charges of stealing a shopping trolley.
Ayanda Gumede, 31, was arrested two weeks ago after being caught wheeling away a supermarket shopping trolley outside Musgrave Centre, said police spokesman, Colonel Jay Naicker, on Thursday. After appearing at the Durban Magistrate’s Court last week, he was held at the Westville Correctional Service’s medium A remand detention centre while awaiting his next court date.
Spokesman for KZN correctional services, Thulani Mdluli, said Gumede escaped while under guard at King Edward VIII Hospital where he had been admitted for treatment last Friday. “The guard indicated he took the detainee for X-rays earlier and on his return he chained him to the bed on both legs and left to warm-up his food and write the duty journal,” said Mdluli. This was just after 10am.
While the correctional services guard was away, Gumede managed to free his ankles from the leg-irons leaving them dangling from the bed, and making his escape from the Umbilo hospital unnoticed.
The guard was alerted by a nurse who informed him that Gumede was no longer in his bed.
A case of escaping from lawful custody is being investigated by Umbilo police.
Mdluli said the department had instituted an internal investigation. “At the moment the offender is at large. The Department of Correctional Services appeals to the public who may have information that could lead to the arrest of this awaiting-trial offender to come forward, not take the law into their own hands,” he said.
The shopping trolley was returned to the supermarket.
Daily News