Cape Town – The wife of a soldier who allegedly escaped with a P4 rifle from a military camp has reportedly criticised the South African Police Service (SAPS) and the South African National Defence Force (SANDF) for treating her family as suspects in harbouring the fugitive.
The soldier, Isak Thompson, left the SA Army Infantry School after being denied permission to quit an advanced reconnaissance platoon course due to its intensity.
According to News24, his wife, Juanita, expressed concern about his well-being and said that their family would never hide him intentionally.
Despite being under 24-hour surveillance, Thompson has not been sighted at his home.
Juanita was upset that her four children were questioned separately by investigators about their father’s whereabouts without her presence, the report said.
NEWS UPDATES: SANDF soldier Isak Thompson escaped from a military camp in Oudtshoorn last Tuesday. pic.twitter.com/BwdEIeMMxX
— Thulani Ndaba (@tndaba) July 27, 2023
“We have been treated like suspects who are hiding Isak…. We are so deeply concerned about his whereabouts. How on earth would we want to hide him away?
“The police have questioned our children, without any adults present. It’s not right,” the report quoted Juanita, 46, as saying.
She added: “Something must have happened at the army to trigger him to leave. He would never have just left his job when he did everything he could to provide for his family. His kids are his life, and he would never do anything to jeopardise their happiness,” the report quoted Juanita, 46, as saying.
She pleaded with the authorities to intensify the search and criticised how the army and police were handling the situation, claiming they were more concerned about the rifle he took than his safety.
When Thompson’s family dropped him off at an infantry school in Oudtshoorn on Sunday, July 16, he was “excited and optimistic” about being deployed soon. But three days later, he had disappeared, Times Live reported.
He was reportedly spotted walking with his firearm, the report said.
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Compiled by Betha Madhomu
