The North West acting provincial police Commissioner Major General Patrick Asaneng said they were convinced that members of SAPS helped the alleged Stilfontein illegal mining kingpin James Tshoaeli escape from custody.
Tshoaeli, who’s known as Tiger, escaped from police custody after he and other illegal miners resurfaced from an abandoned shaft 11 during the mine rescue operations last week.
Asaneng was briefing the media in Potchefstroom, about the ongoing Vala Umgodi operations including Tiger’s escape.
“What I can say without any fear of contradiction is that our members are somehow involved in the disappearance of this wanted illegal mining kingpin.
We put measures in place immediately when the mine rescue plan commenced, we had what we call key points.
All the people that were brought to the surface were properly recorded, accounted for, and corpses that were retrieved were duly handed over to the government’s pathology services,” said Asaneng.
In addition, Asaneng said Tshoaeli was separated from other zama zamas immediately after they lodged complaints with the police that he was the individual who had been torturing them and hoarding food that was sent underground, and that police were instructed to detain him at a police station.
“It was only upon verification and investigation when he was supposed to be taken, we then realized that despite the numbers tally this particular individual was unaccounted for and that’s when we started with an investigation,” explained Asaneng.
Police have confirmed that the suspected kingpin is a Lesotho national, and they are working together with their counterparts in that country to have Tiger arrested.
Asaneng warned that the officers who were involved in his escape will be brought to book.
Meanwhile, in a separate incident, the bodies of five Lesotho nationals were discovered at a river in Kanana.
It is alleged they were involved in illegal mining activities and were involved in a fight with a rival group from their country.