Groenpunt prison break: 5 inmates re-arrested

Bloemfontein - Five of the seven Groenpunt prison inmates who escaped two days ago have been nabbed, the Department of Correctional Services said on Friday.

“Four of the inmates, Zandile Elvis Nkhabu, Teko Mphuthi, Kwazi Nkosi Ndlovu and Tshediso Benjamin Mokoena, were arrested this [Friday] morning in Deneysville in the Free State and one, Majafe Celso Romao, was arrested yesterday [Thursday] on the way to Sasolburg,” department spokesperson Logan Maistry said in a statement.

The two offenders still on the run are Phillip Tivane and Petros Kgatliso Mabela.

Maistry said “around-the-clock work" resulted in the five arrests.

He told News24 that of the five arrested, three had received life sentences. The men were convicted of crimes including burglary, rape, robbery and attempted murder.

Acting National Correctional Services Commissioner Zachariya Modise praised law enforcement officials for the arrests.

He appealed to members of the public not to approach the two inmates who were still at large, but to report them to the nearest police station.