Search for escapees stepped up
Police in the north-western areas of Pretoria – including Ga-Rankuwa, Soshanguve, Akasia and Mabopane – have stepped up their search of the prisoners who escaped when a police truck was ambushed.
Police have stepped up their search for prisoners who escaped last week when a police truck was ambushed in GaRankuwa.
Police in the area had joined forces with police stations across Gauteng in a bid to catch the 16 prisoners who got away, said police spokesperson Captain Doniah Mothutsane.
Police in the other north-western areas of Soshanguve, Akasia and Mabopane were also actively searching.
”We are still searching for those prisoners, including the men who shot at the truck. We are appealing to anyone who might have information that could lead to arrests or identification of prisoners or suspects to come forward with the information,” said Mothutsane.
Police were doing a roll call to double-check how many men got away.
An unknown number of heavily-armed men driving in a grey Chevrolet Aveo last week shot at a police truck carrying 28 prisoners near the University of Limpopo’s Medunsa campus main gates in Ga-Rankuwa. The prisoners were being ferried from Ga-Rankuwa Magistrate’s Court to New Lock prison.
The truck came to a stop and the attackers helped the prisoners escape. Among the escapees were a several dangerous prisoners convicted for car hijacking, armed robbery, theft and house break-ins.
One of them, Bongani Ngomane popularly known as Bongs, was believed to have been the brain behind the ambush, said Ga-Rankuwa police spokesperson Warrant Officer Matthews Nkoadi.
The 25-year-old Bongani had been convicted for hijacking in Mabopane. Nkoadi said Bongani had committed a number of hijackings around Rietgat.
“Some of his cases were withdrawn. We have a strong believe that some of his friends have never been arrested. He once escaped from custody and was re-arrested,” he said Nkoadi.
The other escapees include Solly Masia and Leonard Watson (both convicted of armed robbery), Johannes Boy Mojapelo and Nkisang Mashobane (both convicted of theft), Patrick Makwe (charged with attempted rape), Jimmy Ramochia and Sello Mmotlana (both charged with house break-ins), Willy Madonsela (convicted for transgressing a protection order), Dikgang Jan Nene (charged with possession of a firearm), and Thabo Samuel Mashaba and Tiisetso Mogorosi (charged with a sexual offence and shoplifting).
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Also read:
Four arrested for police truck ambush
Man hunt launched for escaped prisoners
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