SAPS Officers Recapture 2 Inmates Who Escaped From Free State Prison After Only 9 Hours on the Run

• Two inmates who made a daring escape from the Brandfort Correctional Facility in the Free State have been recaptured
• The convicts were only on the run for nine hours when police tracked them down in Majwemasweu, Brandfort
• The recaptured inmates will appear in the Brandfort Magistrate's Court to face charges of escaping lawful custody

FREE STATE - Two escaped inmates' time on the run was short-lived when the South African Police Services (SAPS) recaptured them after only nine hours.

The inmates, Sipho Ndlondlo and Moeketsi Majola, made a break for it on Wednesday, 5 April.

Free State inmates escape after asking for water break

The men serving time at the Brandfort Correctional Facility in the Free State were being guarded by a warder when one of them asked for a water break, SABC News reported.

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About five minutes later, the second inmate also asked if he could also get some water to drink. After a while, the prison warder realised that Ndlondlo and Majola had escaped.

Free State police launch manhunt to recapture escaped inmates

According to police spokesperson Capt Stephen Thakeng, SAPS immediately launched a manhunt when the escape was reported just after 11am.

With assistance from local residents, police found the men in Majwemasweu, Brandfort, at around 8:30pm, nine hours after they escaped, TimesLIVE reported.

Ndlondlo and Majola have been charged with escaping from lawful custody and will appear in the Brandfort Magistrate's Court to answer to the charges soon.

South Africans question why prison breaks seem so easy

Below are some comments:

Cde Josh Mohoase said:

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"Free State prison management should be looked at very closely."

Makgorometxa Rakobela claimed:

"How do inmates escape from prison? Those who have been in jail would tell you that you can't escape there without the help of warders."

AP Qilingwa joked:

"Bloody Thabo Bester wannabes."

Thabiso Lloyd Legwete demanded:

"They must tell us citizens who helped them to escape."

From Ananias Mathe to Thabo Bester and 4 other daring and dramatic prison escapes in South Africa

In a related story, Briefly News reported that South Africa is no stranger to prison breaks. Inmates who have been convicted of various heinous crimes are not usually keen on the idea of being punished for their criminal activities.

Some prisoners hatch plans to become "free men" alone, while others rope in fellow inmates and sometimes prison warders to help them execute their plans.

Briefly News takes a quick look at some of the most daring and dramatic prison escapes in South Africa.

Source: Briefly News