charges for Mathe's escape
20 February 2007
The South African Police Service (SAPS) is currently instituting criminal
charges against some C-Max officials for gross negligence that led to the
escape of Ananias Mathe from the maximum prison in Pretoria.
This emerged during the briefing to the Portfolio Committee on Correctional
Services, by the multi�departmental investigating task team and the Department
of Correctional Services led by Minister Ngconde Balfour and the Acting
National Commissioner, Ms Jabu Sishuba.
Some of the implicated officials particularly that have been directly
singled out by the investigation have already been served with warning papers
for pending prosecution. Others are to face further disciplinary cases for
non�compliance with standing security orders and procedures governing a
correctional or security facility.
Members of the investigating unit told members of parliament that after an
in-depth investigation which included, amongst others, interviews with inmates
and officials as well as conducting polygraph tests, the team came to a
conclusion that there was either deliberate aiding of Mathe's escape or
non�compliance to security measures and gross negligence by prison
officials.
They said there was however overwhelming evidence of non�compliance by the
C�Max officials in adhering to standing security procedures in the events
leading to the escape. There were also a lot of discrepancies in relation to
statements made by officials and inmates on the circumstances around the
escape, to an extent that many of them twice failed the polygraph tests.
The investigation also found fraudulent manipulation of documents and
entries in the shift register on the day of the escape.
As the result, the National Intelligence Agency (NIA) and the SAPS is
currently further investigating cases of corruption in relation to whether
there were any officials who were bribed to deliberately aid Mathe to
escape.
Minister Balfour also announced the reclassification of certain prisons,
including C�Max, so that they could incarcerate specific highly dangerous
prisoners who cannot be rehabilitated and therefore are a high risk to
society.
He said Mathe's profile required extra security measures that were not
applied on the day of the escape and assured the portfolio committee that heads
are soon going to roll with regard to this matter.
The Minister also announced that he has been engaging the Department of
Justice to expedite the trial of Mathe so that, once he is sentenced on the
various counts, he can then become the full responsibility of Department of
Correctional Services (DCS) as a convicted prisoner.
Currently, he is awaiting trial and that makes it difficult for the
Department to introduce certain measures that are applicable to only convicted
prisoners in the custody of DCS.
Members of parliament expressed a concern about the seeming lack of security
measures at the C�Max, citing the fact that Mathe despite being handcuffed but
still managed to unshackle himself before escaping.
Minister Balfour informed MPs that it was clear on the day that officials
failed to adhere to strict security measures with regard to the handcuffing and
"foot cuffing" of Mathe as they had not properly applied orders with regard to
the use of handcuffs and leg irons on Mathe.
He said new additional security measures including physical and high
technological security systems will be introduced in C�Max. The centre was
designed to hold death row inmates and lacks all the elements of a maximum
security facility because of its old physical structure.
Security vetting of all staff at the C�Max by the NIA is also proceeding to
eliminate from the system those that are a security risk.
The finding of the investigation team was that there was non�compliance of
standing procedural orders and policies that had aided the escape. The fact
that there are officials facing criminal charges was to determine the intention
of deliberate aiding of Mathe by the officials. Hence, there are on�going
criminal investigations.
For media enquiries contact:
Luphumzo Kebeni
Tel: (021) 464 4614
Cell: 082 453 2244
Issued by: Department of Correctional Services
20 February 2007
