WATCH | Eight prison staff get suspension notices after inmate’s escape
Eight correctional services employees at Rooigrond Maximum Correctional Centre near Mahikeng in North West have been served with notices of contemplation of suspension following an offender’s escape from the facility.
Edward Khomotso Madiba was serving a 20-year sentence for robbery with aggravating circumstances, possession of a firearm and ammunition, kidnapping and violating his parole when he escaped from his single cell on Sunday.
“Preliminary information indicates that the offender cut through the burglar-bar door of the single cell,” said correctional services spokesperson Singabakho Nxumalo.
“All necessary measures are being implemented to ensure that offender Madiba is traced and brought back into custody.” — Correctional services spokesperson Singabakho Nxumalo
He said the department has activated its security detail and is working with other law enforcement agencies to locate and apprehend the escapee as a matter of urgency.
“All necessary measures are being implemented to ensure that offender Madiba is traced and brought back into custody.”
Nxumalo said the employees have been served with a notice of suspension pending the outcome of the investigation into the circumstances surrounding the escape.
Just in: The Department of Correctional Services (DCS) has launched a manhunt for offender Edward Khomotso Madiba, who escaped from Rooigrond Maximum Correctional Centre near Mahikeng in the North West Province on 6 September 2026.Madiba is serving a 20-year sentence for… pic.twitter.com/KFLBPet7e7— The Journalist (@Moloi_Herman1) September 7, 2026
Nxumalo appealed to members of the public to immediately alert law enforcement should they have any information that could assist in establishing Madiba’s whereabouts.
“Correctional services has instituted a full-scale investigation into the circumstances surrounding the escape, including the security measures at the facility,” he said. “This is to establish how the escape occurred and to determine whether any negligence or breach of security contributed to the incident.”