Cape Town - Two prisoners who escaped from the medium A correctional facility in Malmesbury, during the Covid-19 screening procedures on Thursday, have been rearrested.
Correctional Services provincial commissioner Delekile Klaas said preliminary reports indicated that the two had managed to climb a wall in the courtyard and gained access to the roof of the unit.
"They were then able to jump the perimeter fencing at the back of the unit and escape from the centre," said Klaas.
According to Klaas, the two escaped at about 12pm and were rearrested just after 3pm.
“Due to the swift response of the correctional officials, the police and the local community, both detainees were successfully rearrested.”
Police spokesperson Andrè Traut said the two prisoners, aged 23 and 28, were detained for housebreaking and theft, respectively.
The South African Sentenced and Awaiting Trial Prisoners Organisation (Sasapo) said the issue of Malmesbury was not new to them, because information received from reliable sources indicated that the escape of those two inmates was well planned and orchestrated with the help of some officials, "obviously in exchange for money".
"Sasapo has requested the office of the Presidency to establish a Commission of Enquiry like the Zondo Commission to root out this corruption in our prisons," said Zweni.
The escape comes eight months after a midday exercise break took a dramatic turn at the same prison, where 69 prisoners staged a daring prison break, who were later rearrested.
Parliament's portfolio committee on justice and correctional services chairperson Bulelani Magwanishe said these escapes do not bode well with them.
Cape Argus