Police are on the trail of eight prisoners who escaped from the detention cells at the Mount Ayliff police station in the Eastern Cape on Saturday night. The prisoners were awaiting trial at the time of their escape.
Police have warned that the prisoners are very dangerous as they have committed serious crimes including murder, rape and robbery.
Brig. Police spokesperson Tembinkosi Kinana said police heard a knocking sound from one of the police cells. They went to see what was going on and then heard from one of the prisoners that prisoners had escaped from their cells.
“During the examination and inspection of the cells, the police discovered that iron bars and windows of the cell had been damaged and that a total of eight prisoners had escaped,” said Kinana.
Kinana says the circumstances surrounding the incident are currently being investigated by a police task force set up immediately after the incident. The task force was led by Lt.Gen. Liziwe Ntshinga, the provincial police commissioner of the Eastern Cape, instructed to track down the fleeing suspects as soon as possible.
Meanwhile, a case of escape from legal detention has been filed against the escapees. ʼn Internal investigation will also be conducted to determine whether the police officers who were on duty may have been negligent.
The eight suspects were initially arrested for the following: Alungile Loni (21) for theft, Mfundiso Nogwanya (22) for rape, Sipho Mdutyulwa (26) for house robbery and theft, John Themba Ndou (36) for rape, Nathi Mavela ( 21) for assault, Lizwi Dawedi (21) for murder, Sipho Ndzelu (21) for theft and Abongile Mphandana (27) for ʼn previous escape.
Kinana says community members are urged not to try to apprehend the eight suspects themselves, but to notify police rather than identify one of them.
Anyone with more information on where the suspects can find themselves can call the police crime number on 08600 10111.
