Convicts escape in leap from prison van
Three still on the run following breakout just hours after sentence for robbery
FOUR criminals made a daring escape from police custody, breaking through the rusted roof of a justice department vehicle and fleeing, just hours after being sentenced in a Port Elizabeth court yesterday.
The escapees – William Kleinbooi, Marco Tiervlei, Ettiene Andrews and Justin Bramwell – were part of a group of prisoners being transported to St Albans Prison when they managed to escape from the truck in the Gelvandale area in Port Elizabeth’s northern areas at about 2.20pm.
Police deployed a helicopter and launched a manhunt immediately afterwards.
Andrews, 36, was nabbed a few hours later in the Bethelsdorp area, at about 8.30pm.
Kleinbooi, Tiervlei and Bramwell are still at large.
Port Elizabeth police spokesman Warrant Officer Alwin Labans said the men had been sentenced in the Gelvandale Magistrate’s Court earlier for four separate cases of robbery.
The robberies all occurred in the Mount Road and Bethelsdorp areas.
“A sergeant and a constable were transporting the prisoners to St Albans when they heard loud banging noises from the back of the truck,” Labans said.
“They then saw the men [jumping] off the roof of the vehicle into nearby bushes.”
The men had been dressed in civilian clothing and were not considered dangerous.
“We are confident that the three still at large will be arrested soon,” Labans said later.
The escape comes when police have their hands full with drownings and car accidents.
And they have warned that they will clamp down on drunk drivers and other law-breakers.
At least five people, including two children, drowned earlier this week and officials have vowed to increase their presence on beaches to ensure the safety of holidaymakers leading up to New Year celebrations.
The incidents included two women in their 20s who drowned at Qolora-by-Sea in Centane on Tuesday, and a 12-year-old boy who went missing while swimming in the same region.
Another boy, Baxolele Gqaza, 8, drowned on Christmas Day while swimming with his friends in the Kei River.
A Port Elizabeth man, aged about 26, disappeared under the waves at the Kariega Mouth in Kenton-on-Sea on Sunday.
Provincial police spokesman Captain Khaya Tonjeni warned residents to play their part in ensuring their safety and that of their children.
“We are appealing to parents and adults to exercise more caution as police cannot afford one more death that could have been avoided,” he said.
“A stern warning is issued to those who continue to drink and swim to refrain from this conduct before it is too late.”
Tonjeni said police visibility had been heightened at beaches in East London, Port Alfred and Port St Johns, with members on horseback patrolling the areas.
The social development de- partment would also deploy teams to beaches in Port St Johns, Buffalo City and Nelson Mandela Bay.
Social development spokesman Mzukisi Solani said these trained social workers would be tasked with protecting children.
“Their function is to make sure children [are taken care of] if they are lost,” Solani said.
“They help to identify the children and keep them in safe places until their parents can be tracked down.”
In the Bay, 152 municipal staff from the safety and security directorate will be on duty across the metro on New Year’s Eve.
The metro police would be “putting in absolutely everything towards [keeping the metro] incident-free” in the final week of the year, the mayor’s chief of staff, Kristoff Adelbert, said.
“There will be a zero-tolerance approach to anyone found breaking the law.
“We want residents and tourists to enjoy all our city has to offer in a safe environment.”
The metro police had already been successful in creating this safe environment over the festive season, metro police chief Yolanda Faro said.
“Everything went well [over the last few days], with the metro police ensuring compliance with all bylaws and crowd management,” she said.
Its successes included the arrest of 16 alleged drunk-drivers
A sergeant and a constable . . . heard loud banging noises from the back of the truck
on the Day of Goodwill and 191 fines being dished out for various traffic violations from December 24 to 26.
Officials also removed 24 illegal traders at various beaches and confiscated 117 bottles of alcohol over the three days.
Faro said no alcohol was allowed on any of the beaches.
“We also want to warn motorists not to drink and drive and encourage them to rather arrange drop-offs and pick-ups or a designated sober driver.”
Safety and security executive director Advocate Keith Meyer said the metro police and traffic officials would be out in force to prevent drunk driving and illegal drinking at the city’s beaches.
“We will have a zero-tolerance approach in terms of alcohol consumption at our beaches and will not hesitate to act against transgressors,” Meyer said.
Labans also urged drivers to maintain a safe distance from other cars on the road, following a fatal accident near Booysen Park on Tuesday night. Zanathando Gxabeka, 46, of Missionvale, died when an oncoming car allegedly tried to overtake a taxi and crashed into his vehicle.
In another accident, four people were killed in a head-on collision between two vehicles on the N2 between Grahamstown and Port Elizabeth at about 4.40am on Christmas Day.