Escaped criminals nabbed

COMMUNITY members might find relief in knowing that the three dangerous criminals, who escaped Vryheid Prison on Friday, May 9, have been caught and re-arrested by Vryheid police.
On Friday, May 16, local SAPS headed by Col Alexander formed a search party and headed out, patrolling areas around town, looking for these escapees.
The first, Celimpilo Jiyane was caught in the Sasko area and after acquiring information from him they were led to the second escapee. Celimpilo gave police information on their hideout and it is here that they found the two other suspects Halalisani Mbatha and Senzo ‘Black Devil’ Buthelezi.
The two are said to have been found in a squatter camp that is in a forest at the western border of the Vryheid Hill Nature Reserve.
When these suspects saw that they were surrounded, they walked out of one of the shacks and one of them, Halalisani Mbatha is said to have walked out with a home-made weapon which he flashed at the police. It is at this time that this suspect was shot and wounded. The other, ‘Black Devil’ Buthelezi fled the scene.
After fleeing the scene, Buthelezi is said to have headed for Louwsburg.
On Saturday, May 17, the Louwsburg Police received a tip-off from a man who had given Buthelezi a lift. According to this man, he had picked up this suspect as he was hiking on the R69 road headed for Pongola.
The man says that he recognised the suspect’s face and after dropping him off near the Dlomodlomo area as he was heading for Nongoma, he called the police and gave them information on the suspect’s whereabouts. On suspicion that Buthelezi might disappear again, the man turned around and went to pick him up again telling him that he had chosen to go the Pongola route and thus Buthelezi could hitch a lift with him. This man then kept contact with the police who eventually caught up with them near a farm called Paradise Farm on the road to Pongola.
Halalisani Mbatha was taken to Greys Hospital for treatment and is under police guard. The other two suspects appeared in the Vryheid Magistrates Court on Monday, May 19.
The suspects are facing a number of charges including seven counts of robbery, two counts of murder, five counts of attempted murder, one count each of possession of prohibited firearms, one count each of the possession of prohibited ammunition, possession of unlicensed firearms, stock theft and the latest one of escaping lawful custody.
According to SAPS’s Colonel Alexander, these criminals will be sent to Ncome prison.
There are suspicions that a policeman might have assisted these escapees but details are still sketchy and an investigation is underway.