Cape Town – The department of correctional services on Wednesday praised prison wardens who foiled the escape of two prisoners from the Kgosi Mampuru prison in Pretoria.
The wardens were reportedly handed letters of appreciation following a visit by national commissioner of corrections, Makgothi Thobakgale.
eNCA reported that two inmates had already cut open burglar window grills in their cell before they were busted during a routine inspection by officials.
Thobakgale said that the wardens were an “exemplary cadre in the correctional services environment”.
“Our officials are supposed to inspect cells on a daily basis, and because of that good deed, we have been able to notice that two bars in a cell were compromised and because of that, we were able to stop a potential escape because of the work of these officials,” Thobakgale was quoted saying in the report.
The two inmates implicated in the failed escape were serving and 17 years and 14 year sentences for being in the country illegally, robbery, and housebreaking, reported TimesLIVE.
The report said they were able to cut open some window grills using hacksaw blades.
“Four DCS officials were testing and inspecting the grills when they discovered that the structure had been tampered with and a search was conducted in which six blades were located.
“The two offenders said the blades had been smuggled into the prison in a visitor’s shoe. Both offenders are Zimbabwean nationals who were only sentenced last year (2022), in June and July, respectively,” the report quoted the department’s spokesperson.
The inmates implicated in the attempted escape would face further criminal charges, the report said.
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Compiled by Olwethu Mpeshe
