New information about prisoner escape in Morgenzon raises questions

New information regarding the police station escape of Siyabonga Elvis Mlangeni, Mbekezeli Given Nkosi and Nkosinathi Sidwell Mahlangu has surfaced.

They escaped sometime between 21:05 on February 15 and 05:05 on February 16.

Mlangeni and Mahlangu have since been rearrested. Nkosi is still being sought.

Sergeant Paulos Nzimande, the Morgenzon police spokesperson, said it has been clarified that four saw blades, and not a steel bar as was initially reported, had been used in the escape.

The escape itself involved sawing through a cell door and a second fortified door with bars to get out of the police cells, and fashioning makeshift steps from torn strips of cloth to facilitate their climb up to the outer metal mesh enclosing the area outside the door, through which they had also cut a hole to get up on the roof and escape down from it at another spot.

A community member who wishes to remain anonymous, drawing from past visits to these cells, raised questions about the state of the solid steel door that closes onto the barred door at this particular cell.

Allegedly, this door showed no signs of damage, implying that it may have been left open either due to negligence or intentionally by someone inside the facility.

Additionally, it has been disclosed that load-shedding had occurred during the escape, potentially aiding the fugitives by providing a cloak of darkness.

When questioned about the presence of a generator at the station, Nzimande revealed that although they do have one, it was out of commission.

Highvelder has asked Nzimande about the allegation of the solid steel door being undamaged, whether the generator has in the meantime been fixed and when the two suspects who have been recaptured will reappear for their bail application. No response had been received by the time of going to press.