Mozambican Prison Escapees Arrested in Mpumalanga, SA Unimpressed

• The South African Police Service arrested men believed to have been inmates who escaped from Mozambique
• Over 2000 prisoners broke out of a prison in the neighbouring country during the unrest after the general elections in 2024
• The police said that the men were found without documentation in Mpumalanga and they cuffed them

Tebogo Mokwena, a Briefly News current affairs journalist in Johannesburg, South Africa, covered criminal activities, police investigations, police shootouts and court cases at Daily Sun for over three years.

MALELANE, MPUMALANGA — The South African Police Service arrested two men who may have been part of the 6000 convicts who escaped from the Mozambican prison last year.

Prison escapees arrested

According to TimesLIVE, the police arrested the men in Malelane on 26 January 2025 in the evening. An investigation into their identity revealed that they did not have proper documentation. The police said it collaborated with the Haewks, Interpol and the Department of International Relations and Cooperation to validate their identities. They were then charged with contravening the Immigration Act.

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Similar prison-break arrests

• Two suspects who were in custody in Gauteng allegedly turned into cats and escaped from custody in July 2024
• Prisoner Martin Jackson escaped from the Boksburg Correctional Centre in November the same year
• The alleged Stilfontein ringleader, Tiger, escaped from custody after emerging from Shaft 11

South Africans weigh in

Netizens commenting on @TimesLIVE's X tweet shared their views.

T said:

"Many of us saw it before it happened and our intelligence couldn't pick it up."

Xuffler said:

"Where is our crime intelligence?"

Francis Nkosi said:

"Our porous borders are a huge concern since you asked yourself which other monsters managed to get into SA."

Les Nubian said:

"Like we predicted."

Moeti Molelekoa said:

"I knew that they would easily cross through the unguarded SA borders."

3 suspects escape from North West police station

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In a related article, Briefly News reported that three suspects escaped from the Swartruggens Police Station in the North West in December last year. The men were arrested for serious crimes when they escaped.

The suspects forced their exit through the roof of the cell. One of them was arrested and the other ones are at large. The police called on the public to assist them in tracking them down.

Source: Briefly News