Officials in hot water for helping prisoner escape

Inmate rearrested after highway chase

Four prison officials have been arrested for helping an inmate escape when he was taken to hospital for a check-up.

The inmate from the Boksburg Correctional Centre was rearrested a few hours after the escape from the Charlotte Maxeke Johannesburg Academic Hospital on Tuesday, the department of correctional services said yesterday.

The department’s initial reports were that one officer had been arrested and charged with aiding an escape. There were also unconfirmed reports that the prisoner claimed to have paid R4 000 to the officer to give him a gun and help him break free.

Commenting on these allegations, department spokesperson Mocheta Monama, said: “I cannot confirm nor deny the allegations at this point. Both internal and external investigations are continuing in order to uncover exactly what transpired.”

Monama said three more prison officials had been arrested by yesterday afternoon in connection with the prisoner’s escape.

The prisoner‚ Mxolisi Booi‚ had been serving an 18-year sentence for robbery.

Monama said Booi had already served half of his sentence at the time of his foiled escape.

He was rearrested hours later on the N12 highway near Daveyton, Ekurhuleni, after a high-speed chase that involved policemen‚ metro police and the correctional services support team.

“He was found with his girlfriend who was also arrested and charged with aiding an escapee‚” he said.

Monama said three prison escapes had been reported in Gauteng since the start of this financial year.

“This number includes the mass escape from a Johannesburg correctional facility where 18 escaped.

“Of the 18‚ a total of 11 inmates have been rearrested‚ two more were killed in a shootout, while five inmates are still at large.”

Six officers had been arrested in connection with that escape.