The Western Cape SAPS has confirmed that the fourth and final suspect, who escaped from the Wynberg Magistrates’ Court earlier this week, has been re-arrested.
Western Cape police spokesperson, Sergeant Wesley Twigg, confirmed that Ismail George was apprehended in Mitchells Plain on Sunday.
“He is due to appear in court [on Monday],” confirmed Twigg.
This is just over a week after the previous suspect, Mphumeleli Lufutha, was arrested in Samora Machel on the morning of Friday, 24 October.
Two other suspects, Linda Soyeza and Toufieq Damon, were taken into custody on the afternoon of Thursday, 23 October, just three days after their jailbreak.
“Linda handed himself over to police, while Toufieq was arrested at a premises in Grassy Park,” said Twigg.
Their re-arrests come after police identified the four detainees who escaped from the holding cells at the court on Monday, 20 October.
They were identified as men between the ages of 22 and 33.
Twigg confirmed that they were appearing on charges of housebreaking, the illegal possession of a firearm, as well as a warrant of arrest.
He said they were remanded in custody after their court appearances, after which they escaped.
“Wynberg police are seeking the assistance of the public to help with the investigation into the escape of detainees… Anyone with any information who can assist with the investigation or who knows the whereabouts of the suspects can contact the investigating officer Detective Sergeant Abrahams on 079 498 9937 or Crime Stop on 08600 10111,” said Twigg.
There were originally six detainees who escaped, of whom two had been re-arrested soon after, according to Twigg in a statement on Wednesday.
“Six [trial] awaiting prisoners between 21 and 34 escaped. We can confirm that two of the six were re-arrested,” said Twigg on Wednesday.
An escape-from-lawful-custody case was registered with Wynberg police, with Twigg noting that the circumstances of the incident are under investigation.
“Police are following up all leads in a bid to [re-arrest] the outstanding suspects.”
The incident has raised serious concerns about security at the facility.
The Chairperson of the Cape Flats Safety Forum, Abie Isaacs, voiced his concern, noting that the Wynberg Magistrates’ Court has faced previous security breaches.
In May, 50-year-old taxi driver Dingalomoya Cintso was shot dead outside Courtroom D while waiting for his case to be heard. Five suspects were later arrested for that crime.
READ MORE: Fifth suspect in custody for Wynberg court murder – Smile 90.4FM
“There are a lot of incidents happening at Wynberg court. Based on that, we are calling for the authorities to step up the security,” said Isaacs, urging authorities to not only increase security at the Wynberg Court, but at other courts vulnerable security lapses.
Isaacs further called on all the relevant authorities to take swift action.
“We call on all authorities, the Department of Correctional Services, all agencies, to step up their game and re-arrest the awaiting trial prisoners.”
Western Cape MEC for Police Oversight and Community Safety, Anroux Marias, said she is also deeply concerned by the turn of events, and called for a “full and thorough investigation” to establish how the suspects managed to escape.
“We need to identify any lapses in security or procedure that allowed this to happen, and ensure that systems are reinforced to prevent any such incidents in future,” said Marais
Anyone with any information on the whereabouts of the suspects or any other information has been urged to contact the police on 08600 10111, or the mobile application MySAPS can be used to log anonymous tip-offs.
*This article (originally published on Wednesday, 22 October) has been updated to include the latest information on the suspects. The article was further updated to include the latest on the re-arrests.
