Parliament’s Portfolio Committee on Correctional Services has called for thorough investigations into a suspected case of “aiding and abetting” dangerous offender Edward Madiba’s escape from the Rooigrond Maximum Correctional Centre near Mahikeng in the North West.
Madiba escaped from one of the country’s maximum-security correctional facilities on Sunday, not for the first time, but for the second time in less than a year.
According to the Department, Madiba escaped from the same maximum-security facility in 2022 and was only re-arrested late last year.
Speaking on YOU FM Newshour, committee Chairperson Kgomotso Ramolobeng called for harsher action against officials who may be found to have aided the offender’s escape.
“The Department’s official statement indicates that the offender would have cut through the prison burglar door.
“I have been to a number of correctional facilities throughout the country, some of which are maximum-security facilities. It’s not easy for those burglar bars to be cut in a day.
“So, it means there have been instances where he has been doing this, not necessarily alone. A question might arise as to how he got whatever he used to cut through the burglar bars inside the facility,” said Ramolobeng.
She further addressed suspicions that some officials may have assisted the offender in escaping.
“There’s that possible collusion between an inmate and officials, and if that’s the case and the Department, through its investigations, can prove it, there must be consequences.
“We have been reiterating, as the committee and the Department, that any official found to have brought contraband into a correctional facility must face the might of the law, be taken through disciplinary processes, and must immediately be dismissed,” stressed the Chairperson.
She added that Madiba was a known high-risk inmate and should have been placed in a cell where he could be closely monitored.
“We are just appalled at how that happened because there’s a history of that offender having escaped before, meaning there was supposed to be extra caution around him to make sure he doesn’t re-attempt to escape.
“We are expecting the Department, once it has concluded its investigation and the ongoing process to re-apprehend him and return him to the facility, to provide a comprehensive report on what happened,” she reiterated.
Ramolobeng defended the Escape Prevention Strategy formulated by both the Department and the committee to address challenges involving high-profile escapes from the country’s correctional facilities.
“In some facilities, the strategy is working.
“If you look at the statistics of escapes that have been happening throughout correctional facilities, it’s minimal.
“It has been effective in some instances because you get to a facility and you are told that there has been over a decade since there was an attempt by inmates to escape.
“So, it means the strategy is working, but for it to be in full force, it also requires officials to adhere to that policy in terms of the implementation process,” emphasised Ramolobeng.
Meanwhile, the Department has confirmed that eight of its officials have been served with notices of contemplation of suspension, pending the outcome of the investigation into the circumstances surrounding the escape.
Members of the public are urged to immediately alert law enforcement should they have any information that could assist in establishing Madiba’s whereabouts.
