Bandits back behind bars
Five awaiting trial prisoners escaped from a police van while being transported to Moretele Magistrate’s Court in Hammankraal on Wednesday.
Three men have been rearrested after breaking out of a police van taking them to a court in Hammanskraal.
They were part of a group of five awaiting-trial prisoners who escaped on Wednesday on their way to Moretele Magistrate’s Court.
Police spokesperson Colonel Lungelo Dlamini confirmed on Thursday that the three were captured on Wednesday night.
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“Solly Mokoena (31), Sello Lebea (31) and Thabiso Gololo (28) were rearrested by members of a Temba police task team,” he said.
“Two other escapees, Benjamin Bapela (21) and Thabang Hlongwane (26), are still at large. Police are following several leads to arrest them.”
The five men were facing serious criminal charges.
Kololo, Hlongwane, Bapela face were on trial for rape and Mokwena and Lebea for armed robbery and murder respectively.
“They will face further charges of escaping from police custody and malicious damage to property,” said Dlamini.
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Police were still questioning them on the circumstances of their escape from the back of the police truck.
The break-out drama unfolded at an intersection near Babelegi Factories in Hammanskraal on Wednesday morning.
Dlamini said the five men cut through the burglar window of the moving police van and jumped out.
“A small but sharp hacksaw was used to cut through the van’s burglar window. How the object got into the van…that is still part of the investigation.”
Dlamini said the van was transporting a total of 25 awaiting trial prisoners.
“Only five of them managed to escape. Police managed to stop the van and blocked the others from escaping,” he said.
After jumping out of the van, three of the men took up position in the middle of the road, blocking an oncoming vehicle.
“They hijacked the car and the three of them jumped in and drove off,” he said.
The driver of the hijacked car was left stranded in the middle of the road.
The other two escapees ran away and disappeared into a bush.
The three men in the car dumped the vehicle it in Bela-Bela and disappeared.
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Dalimi said a manhunt for the remaining escapees was continuing and police were questioning the officers who were transporting the prisoners.
Some of the prisoners had been awaiting trial for over four years.
Dlamini said the two still on the run was considered dangerous as they were on trial for armed robbery and murder.
He implored people not to try and catch the escaped men on their own.
Anyone with information on them could call Crime Stop numbers 08600 1011, 082-313-8299 or 082-444-4354 at any time.
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